GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO IBD OPERATES VIA CONTROL OF APICAL JUNCTIONAL COMPLEXES

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S30-S30
Author(s):  
Isabelle Hébert-Milette ◽  
Chloé Lévesque ◽  
Guy Charron ◽  
John Rioux

Abstract Introduction Intestinal permeability is increased in unaffected 1st degree relatives of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and is considered a risk factor for the development of IBD, likely increasing the interactions between intestinal microorganisms and the immune system. We recently reported that C1orf106, a gene located within a genomic region associated with IBD, regulates epithelial permeability. We further demonstrated that a rare coding variant within C1orf106 (p.Y333F) decreases protein stability and that lower levels of C1orf106 protein leads altered stability of adherens junctions (AJ) and to an increase in epithelial permeability. Hypothesis In addition to altering AJ, we believe that C1orf106 is also involved in the regulation of tight junction (TJ) formation, which also impacts epithelial permeability. Objectives The objectives of the project are to (a) validate the impact of C1orf106 on tight junctions and (b) verify the impact of C1orf106 IBD-associated variants on intestinal barrier integrity. Results We observed that knocking down the expression of C1orf106 in Caco-2 cells leads to a number of phenotypes in human epithelial monolayer (2D) and spheroid (3D) cultures that are associated with alterations in TJs. Specifically, when studying the dynamic reformation of TJ in 2D cultures after transient withdrawal of calcium, which is required for TJ stability, we observed that lower levels of C1orf106 resulted in (1) decreased recovery of barrier function as measured by transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER); (2) an alteration of tight junction protein localization; and (3) thickening of the circumferential actin belt. Moreover, in 3D cultures, we observed an altered spheroid formation associated with impaired epithelial polarization. In addition, our preliminary studies of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived epithelial cultures support that Y333F heterozygotes also have altered structure and function of their tight junctions. Conclusion Our observations indicate an important role of C1orf106 in apical junctional complex (AJC) formation likely mediated by a regulation of the circumferential actin belt. This can affect other functions of AJC, like the establishment of cell polarity. AJC formation is important for epithelial repair after an injury and its dysregulation impairs the formation of an impermeable epithelial barrier, which likely facilitates the passage of microorganisms and the induction and maintenance of intestinal inflammation.

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 1161-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hu Yue ◽  
Lu  Bin ◽  
Chen Chaoying ◽  
Zhang Meng ◽  
Li Meng ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Intestinal permeability and stress have been implicated in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Cytokeratin 8 (CK8), for the first time, has been shown to mediate corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-induced changes in intestinal permeability in animal models of IBS. In this study, we investigated the regulatory effects of CRF on the permeability of human intestinal epithelial cells through the CK8-mediated tight junction. Methods: The expression levels of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 2 (CRFR2) on the HT29 cell surface were determined by immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, and Western blotting. After treatment with 100 nM CRF for 72 h, the translocation of FITC-labelled dextran was measured in a transwell chamber; the structural changes of tight junctions were observed under transmission electron microscopy; the expression levels of CK8, F-actin and tight junction proteins ZO-1, claudin-1, and occludin were detected by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. The activity of RhoA was detected by immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, the effects of CRF on intestinal epithelial permeability were examined in CK8-silenced HT29 cells, which were constructed by shRNA interference. Results: CRF treatment increased FITC-labelled dextran permeability, caused the opening of tight junctions, induced increased fluorescence intensity of CK8 and decreased the intensities of ZO-1, claudin-1, and occludin, together with structural disruption. The expression levels of F-actin, occludin, claudin-1, and ZO-1 were downregulated. RhoA activity peaked at 30 min after CRF treatment. CRF-induced increased permeability, and downregulation of claudin-1 and occludin were not blocked by CK8 silencing. Nevertheless, CK8 silencing blocked the effects of CRF regarding the decrease in the expression levels of F-action and ZO-1 and increase in RhoA activity. Conclusion: CRF may increase intestinal epithelial permeability by upregulating CK8 expression, activating the RhoA signalling pathway, promoting intestinal epithelial actin remodelling, and decreasing the expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1. Other CK8-independent pathways may be involved in the downregulation of claudin-1 and occludin, which might also contribute to increased intestinal epithelial permeability.


1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (8) ◽  
pp. 1005-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.S. Merzdorf ◽  
D.A. Goodenough

The tight junction is the most apical member of the intercellular junctional complex. It functions as a permeability barrier between epithelial cells and maintains the integrity of the apical and basolateral membrane domains. In order to study tight junctions in Xenopus laevis, a polyclonal antibody was raised which recognized Xenopus ZO-1. Monoclonal antibody 19B1 (mAb 19B1) was generated in rats using a crude membrane preparation from Xenopus lung as antigen. mAb 19B1 gave immunofluorescent staining patterns identical to those seen with anti-ZO-1 on monolayers of Xenopus A6 kidney epithelial cells and on frozen sections of Xenopus kidney, liver, and embryos. Electron microscopy showed that the 19B1 antigen colocalized with ZO-1 at the tight junction. Western blotting and immunoprecipitation demonstrated that ZO-1 is an approximately 220 kDa protein in Xenopus, while mAb 19B1 identified an approximately 210 kDa antigen on immunoblots. Immunoprecipitates of ZO-1 were not recognized by mAb 19B1 by western analysis. The solubility properties of the 19B1 antigen suggested that it is a peripheral membrane protein. Thus, the antigen recognized by the new monoclonal antibody 19B1 is not ZO-1 and represents a different Xenopus tight junction associated protein.


Microbiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 151 (7) ◽  
pp. 2451-2458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda MacCallum ◽  
Simon P. Hardy ◽  
Paul H. Everest

Caco-2 cells are models of absorptive enterocytes. The net transport of fluid from apical to basolateral surfaces results in ‘domes' forming in differentiated monolayers. Here, the effect of Campylobacter jejuni on this process has been examined. C. jejuni caused no changes in short-circuit current upon infection of Caco-2 cell monolayers in Ussing chambers. Thus, no active secretory events could be demonstrated using this model. It was therefore hypothesized that C. jejuni could inhibit the absorptive function of enterocytes and that this may contribute to diarrhoeal disease. C. jejuni infection of fluid-transporting (‘doming’) Caco-2 cells resulted in a significant reduction in dome number, which correlated with a decrease in tight junction integrity in infected monolayers, when measured as transepithelial electrical resistance. Defined mutants of C. jejuni also reduced dome numbers in infected monolayers. C. jejuni also altered the distribution of the tight junction protein occludin within cell monolayers. The addition to monolayers of extracellular gentamicin prevented these changes, indicating the contribution of extracellular bacteria to this process. Thus, tight junction integrity is required for fluid transport in Caco-2 cell monolayers as leaky tight junctions cannot maintain support of transported fluid at the basolateral surface of infected cell monolayers. Inhibition of absorptive cell function, changes in epithelial resistance and rearrangement of tight junctional proteins such as occludin represent a potential diarrhoeal mechanism of C. jejuni.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingdi Zhang ◽  
Xiaojing Zhao ◽  
Yunjuan Zhu ◽  
Jingjing Ma ◽  
Haiqin Ma ◽  
...  

Bifico is a probiotic mixture containing Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Enterococcus. Studies support that Bifico has a protective effect in experimental colitis (IL-10-deficient and TNBS) models and in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanism underlying the protective effects of this mixture of probiotic bacteria remains incompletely clear. Here, we investigated the effect of Bifico on intestinal inflammation. In an in vivo experiment, dextran sulfate sodium was used to induce colitis. Bifico treatment significantly attenuated the severity of colitis in this model. Bifico increased the expression of tight junction proteins (TJs). In addition, Bifico increased the number of Tregs, but reduced the number of total CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood. Furthermore, the expression of colonic CD4 protein was decreased while the level of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) was upregulated. These results suggested that Bifico exerts beneficial effects on experimental colitis by increasing the expressions of TJs, upregulating the number of Tregs, and reducing the total CD4+ T cell number in both colon and peripheral blood. The intestinal damage in the pretreated + treated-Bifico-colitis group was more severe than that in only the pretreated-Bifico-colitis group. This suggested that Bifico might aggravate intestinal damage when the mucosal barrier is impaired.


1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (6) ◽  
pp. C749-C758 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gumbiner

The zonula occludens (ZO), also referred to as the tight junction, forms the barrier to the diffusion of molecules and ions across the epithelial cell layer through the paracellular space. The level of electrical resistance of the paracellular pathway seems to depend on the number of strands in the ZO observed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy (EM). The ZO also forms the boundary between the compositionally distinct apical and basolateral plasma membrane domains because it is a barrier to the lateral diffusion of lipids and membrane proteins that reside in the extracytoplasmic leaflet of the membrane bilayer. In contrast to its appearance in transmission EM, the tight junction is not a fusion between the outer membrane leaflets of neighboring cells. Rather it consists of protein molecules, including the newly discovered protein ZO-1 and probably others, which bring the plasma membranes into extremely close apposition so as to occlude the extracellular space. Very little is known about the assembly of tight junctions, but several kinds of evidence suggest that they are very dynamic structures. Other elements of the epithelial junctional complex including the zonula adherens (ZA), the Ca2+-dependent cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin, or L-CAM, and actin filaments of the cytoskeleton may participate in the assembly of the ZO.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (6) ◽  
pp. G1129-G1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia L. Sears

Studies of the impact of enteric pathogens and their virulence factors on the proteins comprising the tight junction and zonula adherens offer a novel approach to dissection of tight junctional complex regulation. Most studies to date provide only tantalizing clues that select pathogens may indeed assault the tight junctional complex. Information on critical human pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni and Shigella and Salmonella subspecies is lacking. Mechanistic studies are currently sparse, but available results on pathogenic Escherichia coli and specific virulence factors such as the Rho-modifying and protease bacterial toxins indicate four major mechanisms by which these pathogens may act: 1) direct cleavage of tight junctional structural proteins; 2) modification of the actin cytoskeleton; 3) activation of cellular signal transduction; and 4) triggering transmigration of polymorphonuclear cells across the epithelial cell barrier. New therapeutics may evolve from detailed studies of these pathogens and the cellular processes and proteins they disrupt.


1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (4) ◽  
pp. C918-C924 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Balda ◽  
J. M. Anderson

The tight junction forms the intercellular barrier separating tissue compartments. The characteristics of this barrier are remarkably diverse among different epithelia and endothelia and are not explained by our limited knowledge of its molecular composition. Two isoforms of the 220-kDa tight junction protein ZO-1 result from alternative RNA splicing and differ by an internal 80-amino acid domain, termed alpha (E. Willott, M. S. Balda, M. Heintzman, B. Jameson, and J. M. Anderson. Am. J. Physiol. 262 (Cell Physiol. 31): C1119-C1124, 1992). Using antibodies specific for each isoform and double-labeled immunofluorescence microscopy, we observed that the ZO-1 alpha- isoform is restricted to junctions of endothelial cells and highly specialized epithelial cells of both seminiferous tubules (Sertoli cells) and renal glomeruli (podocytes); in contrast, the ZO-1 alpha+ isoform is expressed in cells of all other epithelia examined. Both immunoblotting and ribonuclease protection analysis confirmed this pattern of expression. This distribution does not correlate with differences in junctional resistance or ultrastructural complexity. Instead, we observe a correlation with junctional plasticity; ZO-1 alpha- is expressed in structurally dynamic junctions, whereas ZO-1 alpha+ is expressed in those which are less dynamic. This is the first molecular distinction among tight junctions and reveals a fundamental dichotomy with implications for how the paracellular barriers of endothelia and epithelia are regulated.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document