Project description:Intestinal homeostasis is dynamically coordinated by various types of epithelial cells fulfilling their specific functions. Tuft cells as chemosensory cells have emerged as key players of the host response, such as innate immunity. Tuft cells are also critical for the restoration of intestinal architecture upon damage, thereby contributing to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) characterized by defective intestinal barrier integrity. However, the molecular mechanism of how tuft cell homeostasis is controlled remains obscure. Recent studies have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the inositol polyphosphate multikinase (IPMK) gene associated with IBD predisposition. IPMK, an essential enzyme for inositol phosphate metabolism, has been known to mediate major biological events such as growth. To investigate the functional significance of IPMK in gut epithelium, we generated intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-specific Ipmk knockout (IPMKΔIEC) mice. Whereas IPMKΔIEC mice developed normally and showed no intestinal abnormalities during homeostasis, Ipmk deletion aggravated dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, with higher clinical colitis scores, and elevated epithelial barrier permeability. Surprisingly, no apparent defects in epithelial growth signaling pathway and inflammation were found in DSS-challenged, IPMK-deficient colons. Rather, Ipmk deletion led to a significant decrease in the number of tuft cells without influencing other intestinal epithelial cells. Ipmk deletion in the gut epithelium was found to reduce choline acetyltransferase but not cytokines (e.g., IL-25), suggesting selective loss of cholinergic signaling. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of mouse colonic tuft cells (EpCAM+/Siglec F+) and immunohistochemistry revealed three populations of tuft cells and further showed that, in IPMKΔIEC mice, a transcriptionally inactive tuft club cell population was markedly expanded, and neuronal-related tuft cells were relatively decreased, supporting the abnormal development of tuft cells without IPMK functions. Thus, IPMK acts as a physiological determinant of colonic tuft cell homeostasis, thereby mediating tissue regeneration upon injury.
Project description:H3K27me3 statuses were analyzed in normal mouse colonic epithelial cells and in those exposed to DSS-induced colitis, and aberrant changes of H3K27me3 by DSS-induced colitis were identified.
Project description:Primary cilia (PC) are important signaling hubs in cells and we explored their role in colorectal cancer (CRC) and colitis. In the colon we found PC to be mostly present on different subtypes of fibroblasts and exposure of mice to either chemically induced colitis-associated colon carcinogenesis (CAC) or dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced acute colitis decreased PC numbers. We employed conditional knock-out strains for the PC essential genes, Kif3A and Ift88, to generate mice with reduced numbers of PC on colonic fibroblasts. These mice showed an increased susceptibility in the CAC model as well as in DSS-induced colitis. Secretome and immunohistochemical analyses of DSS-treated mice displayed an elevated production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in PC-deficient colons. An inflammatory environment diminished PC presence in primary fibroblast cultures. This was triggered by IL-6 as identified by RNAseq analysis together with blocking experiments, suggesting an activation loop between IL-6 production and PC loss. Notably, an analysis of PC presence on biopsies of patients with ulcerative colitis as well as CRC patients revealed decreased numbers of PC on colonic fibroblasts in pathological versus surrounding normal tissue. Taken together, we provide evidence that a decrease in colonic PC numbers promotes colitis and CRC.
Project description:We compared the transcriptional signatures of the colonic mucosa from control mice (WT) versus mice deficient for the epithelial pantetheinase Vnn1 (Vnn1KO) or overexpressing Vnn1 specifically in intestinal epithelial cells (VIVA transgenic mice), during the development of DSS-induced colitis.
Project description:Background and Aims. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in maintaining immunological homeostasis by orchestrating innate and adaptive immune responses via migration to inflamed sites and the lymph nodes (LNs). Plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) have been reported to accumulate in the colon of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. However, the role of pDCs in the progression of colonic inflammation remains unclear. Methods. 80 compounds in natural medicines were searched for inhibitors of pDC migration using bone marrow-derived pDCs (BMpDCs) and conventional DCs (BMcDCs). BALB/c mice were given 3% DSS in the drinking water for 7 days to induce acute colitis. Compounds, which specifically inhibited pDC migration, were administrated into DSS-induced colitis mice. Results. Astragaloside IV (As-IV) and oxymatrine (Oxy) suppressed BMpDC migration but not BMcDC migration. In DSS-induced colitis mice, the number of pDCs was markedly increased in the colonic lamina propria (LP), and the expression of CCL21 was obviously observed in colonic isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs). As-IV and Oxy reduced symptoms of colitis and the accumulation of pDCs in colonic ILFs but not in the colonic LP. Moreover, in a BMpDC adoptive transfer model, BMpDC migration to colonic ILFs was significantly decreased by treatment with As-IV or Oxy. Conclusion. pDCs accumulated in the colon of DSS-induced colitis mice, and As-IV and Oxy ameliorated DSS-induced colitis by suppressing pDC migration to colonic ILFs. Accordingly, the selective inhibition of pDC migration may be a potential therapeutic approach for treating colonic inflammatory diseases.
Project description:The lack of suitable animal models reflecting chronically relapsing inflammation and tissue remodeling have hindered fibrosis research in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This study investigated changes in connective tissue in a chronic murine model using different cycles of dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) to mimic the relapsing nature of the disease. We used whole gene expression arrays to study differences in colonic gene expression levels between acute and more chronic DSS colitis, Acute and chronic relapsing colonic inflammation was induced in C57BL6 female mice using several cycles of exposure to DSS in drinking water, followed by recovery phases. Total RNA, extracted from snap frozen colon from five mice per condition was used to analyze mRNA expression via Affymetrix Mouse Gene 1.0 ST arrays.
Project description:Aberrant epithelial differentiation and regeneration contribute to colon pathologies, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Myeloid translocation gene 16 (MTG16, also known as CBFA2T3) is a transcriptional corepressor expressed in the colonic epithelium. MTG16 deficiency in mice exacerbates colitis and increases tumor burden in CAC, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we identified MTG16 as a central mediator of epithelial differentiation, promoting goblet and restraining enteroendocrine cell development in homeostasis and enabling regeneration following dextran sulfate sodium–induced (DSS-induced) colitis. Transcriptomic analyses implicated increased Ephrussi box–binding transcription factor (E protein) activity in MTG16-deficient colon crypts. Using a mouse model homozygous for a point mutation that attenuates MTG16:E protein interactions (Mtg16P209T), we showed that MTG16 exerts control over colonic epithelial differentiation and regeneration by repressing E protein–mediated transcription. Mimicking murine colitis, MTG16 expression was increased in biopsies from patients with active IBD compared with unaffected controls. Finally, uncoupling MTG16:E protein interactions partially phenocopied the enhanced tumorigenicity of Mtg16-null colon in the azoxymethane (AOM) /DSS-induced model of CAC, indicating that MTG16 protects from tumorigenesis through additional mechanisms. Collectively, our results demonstrate that MTG16, via its repression of E protein targets, is a key regulator of cell fate decisions during colon homeostasis, colitis, and cancer.
Project description:Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) acting as negative regulators of gene expression are differentially expressed in intestinal tissues of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Assessing the functional role of miRNAs in murine models of colitis facilitates elucidating the role of specific miRNAs in human IBD. The aim of this study was to determine the miRNA signature of murine models of colitis and to assess the influence of miR-21 on intestinal inflammation. Methods: miRNAs expression was accessed by microarray for acute and chronic murine model of colitis induced by DSS or TNBS. miR-21-deficient mouse and littermates controls were assessed in the standard DSS, TNBS and CD4+ T cell transfer models of colitis. RNAs of mouse colon and CD4+CD45RBHigh cells were analyzed by miRNA and mRNA microarray, and quantitative RT-PCR. Th1 polarization was accessed by flow-cytometry and ELISA. Results: Alterations of in miRNAs expression were identified for acute and chronic DSS colitis and TNBS colitis, receptively. The Expression of miRs-21, -142-3p and -223 was were distinct between DSS and TNBS models while overlap of numerous miRNAs was seen. Importantly, miRs-19b, -192 and -215, that are decreased in IBD, were significantly decreased in all 4 models of colitis. miR-21, which is increased in IBD, was increased in TNBS colitis but not the DSS colitis models. Further assessment of the miR-21-deficient 1-/- mice revealed that the deletion of miR-21 results in the exacerbation of both the TNBS and T cell-transfer models of colitis. Conclusions: miRNAs are differentially expressed in both human IBD and murine colitis, with overlap of several IBD-associated miRNAs. The demonstration that miR-21 deletion exacerbated CD4+ T cell-mediated models of colitis provides further evidence that miRNAs play significant roles in the pathogenesis of IBD. miRNAs expression was accesed for acute and chronic murine model of colitis induced by DSS or TNBS.Total of 20 samples with duplicates were analyed in this study.