Although alcohol exposure only caused minimal pancreatic injury in animals with intact UPR functions [132,152], loss of function of a UPR regulator X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) resulted in altered ER structure, acinar cell damage and pancreatitis-like features in alcohol-exposed animals, demonstrating a critical protective role of UPR in alcoholic pancreatitis [74,153]. This evidence concerns the gene XBP1 and alcoholic pancreatitis.