Chronic inflammation contributes to a wide variety of human disorders. In the 
stomach, longstanding gastritis often results in structural alterations in the 
gastric mucosa, including metaplastic changes and gastric cancers. Therefore, it 
is important to elucidate factors that are involved in gastric inflammation. 
Nardilysin (N-arginine dibasic convertase; Nrdc) is a metalloendopeptidase of 
the M16 family that promotes ectodomain shedding of the precursor forms of 
various growth factors and cytokines by enhancing the protease activities of a 
disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) proteins. Here, we have demonstrated 
that Nrdc crucially regulates gastric inflammation caused by Helicobacter felis 
infection or forced expression of prostaglandin E2 in K19-C2mE mice. Metaplastic 
changes following gastric inflammation were suppressed by the deletion of Nrdc. 
Furthremore, the deletion of Nrdc significantly suppressed 
N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced gastric tumorigenesis in the murine 
stomach. These data may lead to a global therapeutic approach against various 
gastric disorders by targeting Nrdc.