Between vigilance and tolerance: the immune function of the intestinal epithelium

6His-tatritin promotes antimicrobial defense via regulating immune ability and intestinal microbial community in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Antimicrobial peptides are small, cationic, and amphiphilic peptides found in most organisms, and many of these peptides have broad antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative, -positive bacteria and fungi. In the present study, a derivative of antimicrobial peptide Tatritin, 6His-Tatritin, was designed and expressed by Pichia pastoris using a constitutive vector pGAPZαA with the promoter of pGAP. The 6His-Tatritin had a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity based on the Oxford cup method and the micro broth dilution test. In addition, to explore the role of 6His-Tatritin in vivo, grass carps (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) were infected with Aeromonas hydrophila after they were fed with 6His-Tatritin as feed additives for 28 days. The results revealed that 6His-Tatritin could significantly up-regulate the expression levels of Hepcidin, Leap-2b, Nrf-2, CuZn-SOD and LZM (P < 0.05). In addition, 6His-Tatritin could significantly reduce the mortality (P < 0.05) and the intestinal injury of grass carps infected with bacteria. The 16S sequencing analysis showed that the structure of microbial community in intestine of fish was more diversified compared with control after treatment with 6His-Tatritin. In summary, the peptide of 6His-Tatritin could promote antimicrobial defense via regulating immune ability and intestinal microbial community in grass carp. This study provides an effective method and approach for the application of antimicrobial peptide Tatritin in aquaculture, and also provides insights into the function of antimicrobial peptides in immunity against pathogens in fish.

Innate immune responses play a key role in controlling infection of the intestinal epithelium by Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium infection leads to acute diarrhea worldwide. The development of cryptosporidiosis is closely related to the immune status of its host, affecting primarily young ruminants, infants, and immunocompromised individuals. In recent years, several studies have improved our knowledge on the immune mechanisms responsible for the control of the acute phase of the infection and have highlighted the importance of innate immunity. The parasite develops in the apical side of intestinal epithelial cells, giving these cells a central role, as they are both the exclusive host cell for replication of the parasite and participate in the protective immune response. Epithelial cells signal the infection by producing chemokines, attracting immune cells to the infected area. They also actively participate in host defense by inducing apoptosis and releasing antimicrobial peptides, free or incorporated into luminal exosomes, with parasiticidal activity. The parasite has developed several escape mechanisms to slow down these protective mechanisms. Recent development of several three-dimensional culture models and the ability to genetically manipulate Cryptosporidium will greatly help to further investigate host-pathogen interactions and identify virulence factors. Intestinal epithelial cells require the help of immune cells to clear the infection. Intestinal dendritic cells, well known for their ability to induce and orchestrate adaptive immunity, play a key role in controlling the very early steps of Cryptosporidium parvum infection by acting as immunological sentinels and active effectors. However, inflammatory monocytes, which are quickly and massively recruited to the infected mucosa, seem to participate in the loss of epithelial integrity. In addition to new promising chemotherapies, we must consider stimulating the innate immunity of neonates to strengthen their ability to control Cryptosporidium development. The microbiota plays a fundamental role in the development of intestinal immunity and may be considered to be a third actor in host-pathogen interactions. There is an urgent need to reduce the incidence of this yet poorly controlled disease in the populations of developing countries, and decrease economic losses due to infected livestock.

Immunohistochemical study of jejunal graft mucosa cell populations during the initial adaptation phase in the host body in rats

The character of the changes in cell populations within the jejunal graft mucosa during the initial adaptation phase in the host body was investigated. 24 adult male Wistar rats underwent intestinal heterotopic allotransplantation. Aorto-aortal and porto-caval anastomoses were performed using the end-to-side microsurgery technique. Graft tissues were compared to the intestinal tissues of the recipients. This study demonstrates that: (1) Distinct injury to the graft mucosa 1h after transplantation was accompanied by significant reduction in numbers of epithelial secretory cell populations. The injury was more intense in the mesenteric portion. Six hours after transplantation the graft mucosa was covered by a continuous epithelium, but the number of goblet and Paneth cells was found to be less than 30% of that in the recipient epithelium. (2) In comparison with recipients, myeloperoxidase-positive cell numbers increased significantly in the graft mucosa 1 h after transplantation. In the epithelial layer, denudation and destruction of villi was associated with a significant reduction in intraepithelial lymphocyte numbers. A significant decrease in mucosal mast cell numbers was detected 6 h after transplantation. They attained only 10% of the number found in the recipients. (3) Time-dependent changes in the graft mucosa revealed that CD163-positive cells increased significantly in the graft mucosa during 6 h after transplantation and reached the level found in the recipients. In contrast, the myeloperoxidase-positive cell population significantly decreased in the graft mucosa within the initial 6 h.