During colitis, epithelial and mesenchymal cells, as well as other cell types, increase expression of MT1‐MMP (Pender et al, 2000; te Velde et al, 2007; Alvarado et al, 2008), a membrane‐anchored matrix metalloproteinase whose activity contributes to sprouting angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo through the combined processing of substrates such as TSP1, NID1, and CYR61 (Galvez et al, 2001, 2005; Koziol et al, 2012a). This evidence concerns the gene MMP14 and colitis.