The protein’s dual action—strengthening the mucus barrier and directly controlling invading bacteria—may help prevent infections and could be leveraged to treat inflammatory bowel disease and antibiotic-resistant infections.

Intelectin-2 attaches to sugar molecules on bacterial membranes to trap pathogens and slow their growth, while also linking mucus components to reinforce the protective barrier.

Abnormal intelectin-2 levels are linked to inflammatory bowel disease, and restoring balance could benefit patients by enhancing barrier integrity and guiding therapeutic approaches.

Beyond restoring balance, researchers envision designing proteins based on intelectin-2’s lectin properties to reinforce the gut mucus barrier.

Looking ahead, researchers plan to further explore intelectin-2 as a therapeutic tool for inflammatory bowel diseases and antibiotic-resistant infections.

MIT researchers identify intelectin-2 as a multifunctional lectin with strong antimicrobial effects in the gastrointestinal tract, trapping bacteria by binding galactose on bacterial membranes and mucins while reinforcing the mucus barrier that protects the gut lining.

The study, published in Nature Communications on March 16, 2026, was led by Laura Kiessling at MIT with Amanda Dugan and Deepsing Syangtan as lead authors, involving collaborators from UC Davis, Harvard Medical School/Broad Institute, and MIT.

In humans, intelectin-2 is produced by Paneth cells in the small intestine, while in mice it is produced by goblet cells in response to inflammation or parasitic infection.

The protein can neutralize antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae, suggesting potential development as a new antimicrobial therapy.

The researchers’ work points toward developing intelectin-2–based therapies to restore barrier balance in inflammatory bowel disease and combat resistant infections.

NIH institutes, the Glycoscience Common Fund, and the NSF funded the research, with additional contributions from collaborating institutions and researchers.