CD14 and inflammatory bowel disease: Although the C-260T polymorphism in the CD14 gene has been associated with IBD in certain patient populations,62 it has also been shown to limit inflammatory responses by improving epithelial barrier function.63 In the proximal colon of mice colonized with HC microbiota, CD14 was detectable at the apical surface of the surface epithelial cells, with slightly less intense staining at the basolateral membranes and low expression in the crypts (Figure 6f).