Brush border membrane sucrase-isomaltase, maltase-glucoamylase and trehalase in mammals. Comparative development, effects of glucocorticoids, molecular mechanisms, and phylogenetic implications

A homeodomain protein related to caudal regulates intestine-specific gene transcription

The continually renewing epithelium of the intestinal tract arises from the visceral endoderm by a series of complex developmental transitions. The mechanisms that establish and maintain the processes of cellular renewal, cell lineage allocation, and tissue restriction and spatial assignment of gene expression in this epithelium are unknown. An understanding of the regulation of intestine-specific gene regulation may provide information on the molecular mechanisms that direct these processes. In this regard, we show that intestine-specific transcription of sucrase-isomaltase, a gene that is expressed exclusively in differentiated enterocytes, is dependent on binding of a tissue-specific homeodomain protein (mouse Cdx-2) to an evolutionarily conserved promoter element in the sucrase-isomaltase gene. This protein is a member of the caudal family of homeodomain genes which appear to function in early developmental events in Drosophila melanogaster, during gastrulation in many species, and in intestinal endoderm. Unique for this homeodomain gene family, we show that mouse Cdx-2 binds as a dimer to its regulatory element and that dimerization in vitro is dependent on redox potential. These characteristics of the interaction of Cdx-2 with its regulatory element provide for a number of potential mechanisms for transcriptional regulation. Taken together, these findings suggest that members of the Cdx gene family play a fundamental role both in the establishment of the intestinal phenotype during development and in maintenance of this phenotype via transcriptional activation of differentiated intestinal genes.

Nutritional regulation of postruminal digestive enzymes in ruminants

Nutritional regulation of digestive enzymes has received limited study in ruminants. Comparable studies with nonruminants report adaptations occurring in pancreatic and mucosal enzyme concentrations and synthesis in response to increased consumption of carbohydrate, lipid, or protein. Adaptations in carbohydrases apparently are mediated through changes in blood glucose and insulin, and changes in lipase are mediated through changes in circulating beta-hydroxybutyrate. Increased synthesis and secretion of pancreatic proteases apparently are mediated directly through luminal effects of protein, possibly through a messenger peptide. Available information for ruminants suggests that pancreatic alpha-amylase concentration increases with increased energy intake, but not with increased carbohydrate intake, independent of energy. This result may indicate an adaptation mechanism similar to that of nonruminants, one that is mediated through increased glucose turnover, not intestinal carbohydrate supply alone. Increased intake of energy or increased intestinal supply of carbohydrates results in little or no increase in mucosal carbohydrases in the ruminant. Comparable data for effects of changing intestinal supply of protein are limited to the developing ruminant. Experiments involving lipid feeding are not available, but duodenal lipid infusion decreases pancreatic lipase secretion. Ruminant data are inadequate to predict accurately an adaptive response to feeding any diet.

Ontogenesis of intestine morphology and intestinal disaccharidases in chickens (Gallus gallus) fed contrasting purified diets

Two groups of growing posthatching Cornish x Rock cross chickens were fed with either a carbohydrate-containing (52.5%) or a carbohydrate-free diet. At 36 days after hatching some of the chicks in each group were shifted to the opposite diet. Chickens fed on a carbohydrate-containing diet grew faster and achieved higher asymptotic masses than chickens fed on a carbohydrate-free diet. Chickens fed on a carbohydrate-free diet had longer intestines and larger intestinal areas than chickens of the same mass fed on a carbohydrate-containing diet. In both groups sucrase and maltase activity (standardized by either intestinal area or mass) increased from day 1 to approximately day 17. After day 17, chickens fed on a carbohydrate-containing diet exhibited 1.8 and 1.9 times higher sucrase and maltase activities per unit intestinal area, respectively, than chickens fed on a carbohydrate-free diet. Analysis of covariance was used to estimate the contribution of sucrase and the sucrase-independent maltases to maltase activity, and to estimate the effect of diet on the sucrase-independent maltases. Sucrase contributed 80% and 75% of the maltase activity in carbohydrate and carbohydrate-free fed chickens, respectively. Chickens shifted from a carbohydrate-free to a carbohydrate diet converged in gross intestinal morphology and intestinal sucrase and maltase levels with carbohydrate-fed chickens within 8 days. Chickens shifted from carbohydrate to carbohydrate-free diets, in contrast, did not show appreciable changes in intestinal length and after 8 days had not reduced levels of sucrase and maltase to those of chickens fed on the carbohydrate-free diet. A comparison of integrated maltase intestinal activity with published data on glucose uptake showed that the ratio of maltose hydrolysis to glucose uptake seemed to be about 7 and to remain relatively invariant during ontogeny. Because so little is known about the interaction between hydrolysis and uptake in vivo, it is difficult to determine if this relatively high ratio represents excess hydrolytic capacity or if it is needed to provide high lumenal glucose concentrations that maximize uptake.