Intectin is a Ly-6 family protein which is anchored to glycosylphosphatidylinositol on intestinal epithelial cells. Intectin has been shown to maintain the integrity of the intestinal wall by inducing apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells upon exposure to dietary palmitic acid. Mice treated with the prebioticoligofructose showed improved intestinal homeostasis as indicated by increased intectin.