In IBD, previous studies reported that knocking out autophagy-related key genes, including Atg4B/autophagin-1, Atg16L1, and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) significantly deteriorated the severity of IBD in animal models, suggesting that baseline autophagy was vital for the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and the function of the intestinal defensive barrier36–39. Here, ATF4 is linked to inflammatory bowel disease.