Gata4 and Hnf1alpha are partially required for the expression of specific intestinal genes during development

The terminal differentiation phases of intestinal development in mice occur during cytodifferentiation and the weaning transition. Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH), liver fatty acid binding protein (Fabp1), and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) are well-characterized markers of these transitions. With the use of gene inactivation models in mature mouse jejunum, we have previously shown that a member of the zinc finger transcription factor family (Gata4) and hepatocyte nuclear factor-1alpha (Hnf1alpha) are each indispensable for LPH and Fabp1 gene expression but are both dispensable for SI gene expression. In the present study, we used these models to test the hypothesis that Gata4 and Hnf1alpha regulate LPH, Fabp1, and SI gene expression during development, specifically focusing on cytodifferentiation and the weaning transition. Inactivation of Gata4 had no effect on LPH gene expression during either cytodifferentiation or suckling, whereas inactivation of Hnf1alpha resulted in a 50% reduction in LPH gene expression during these same time intervals. Inactivation of Gata4 or Hnf1alpha had a partial effect ( approximately 50% reduction) on Fabp1 gene expression during cytodifferentiation and suckling but no effect on SI gene expression at any time during development. Throughout the suckling period, we found a surprising and dramatic reduction in Gata4 and Hnf1alpha protein in the nuclei of absorptive enterocytes of the jejunum despite high levels of their mRNAs. Finally, we show that neither Gata4 nor Hnf1alpha mediates the glucocorticoid-induced precocious maturation of the intestine but rather are downstream targets of this process. Together, these data demonstrate that specific intestinal genes have differential requirements for Gata4 and Hnf1alpha that are dependent on the developmental time frame in which they are expressed.

Intestinal protein and LPH synthesis in parenterally fed piglets receiving partial enteral nutrition and enteral insulinlike growth factor 1

BACKGROUND

Providing partial enteral nutrition (PEN) supplemented with insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to parenterally fed piglets increases lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) activity, but not LPH mRNA. The current aim was to investigate potential mechanisms by which IGF-1 up-regulates LPH activity.

METHODS

Newborn piglets (n = 15) received 100% parenteral nutrition (TPN), 80% parenteral nutrition + 20% parenteral nutrition (PEN), or PEN + IGF-1 (1.0 mg. kg-1. d-1) for 7 days. On day 7, [2H3]-leucine was intravenously administered to measure mucosal protein and brush border LPH (BB LPH) synthesis.

RESULTS

Weight gain, nutrient intake, and jejunal weight and length were similar among the treatment groups. Partial enteral nutrition alone increased mucosal weight, villus width and cross-sectional area, LPH activity, mRNA expression, and high mannose LPH precursor (proLPHh) abundance compared with TPN (P<0.05). Insulinlike growth factor-1 further increased mucosal weight, LPH activity, and LPH activity per unit BB LPH approximately twofold over PEN alone (P < 0.05) but did not affect LPH mRNA or the abundance of proLPHh (one of the LPH isoforms) or mature LPH. Isotopic enrichment of [2H3]-leucine in plasma, mucosal protein, and LPH precursors, and the fractional and absolute synthesis rates of mucosal protein and LPH were similar among the treatment groups. Insulinlike growth factor-1 treatment increased total mucosal protein synthesis (60%, P < 0.05) but not LPH synthesis compared with the other two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Because IGF-1 did not affect the fractional synthesis rate of either mucosal protein or LPH, the authors suggest that enteral IGF-1 increases mucosal protein mass and LPH activity by suppressing mucosal proteolytic degradation.

Molecular and cellular aspects and regulation of intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase

Carbohydrates are hydrolyzed in the intestinal lumen by specific enzymes to monosaccharides before transport across the brush border membrane of epithelial cells into the cell interior. The enzymes implicated in the digestion of carbohydrates in the intestinal lumen are membrane-bound glycoproteins that are expressed at the apical domain of the enterocytes. Absent or reduced activity of one of these enzymes is the cause of disaccharide intolerance and malabsorption, the symptoms of which are abdominal pain, cramps or distention, flatulence, nausea and osmotic diarrhea. Lactose intolerance is the most common intestinal disorder that is associated with an absence or drastically reduced levels of an intestinal enzyme, in this case lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH). The pattern of reduction of activity has been termed late onset of lactase deficiency or adult type hypolactasia. It was thought that the regulation of LPH was post-translational and was associated with altered structural features of the enzyme. Recent studies, however, suggest that the major mechanism of regulation of LPH is transcriptional. Other forms of lactose intolerance include the rare congenital lactase deficiency and secondary forms, such as those caused by mucosal injury, due to infectious gastroenteritis, celiac disease, parasitic infection, drug-induced enteritis and Crohn's disease. This review will shed light on important strucural and biosynthetic aspects of LPH, the role played by particular regions of the LPH protein in its transport, polarized sorting, and function, as well as on the gene expession and regulation of the activity of the enzyme.

Lactase synthesis is pretranslationally regulated in protein-deficient pigs fed a protein-sufficient diet

The in vivo effects of protein malnutrition and protein rehabilitation on lactase phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) synthesis were examined. Five-day-old pigs were fed isocaloric diets containing 10% (deficient, n = 12) or 24% (sufficient, n = 12) protein. After 4 wk, one-half of the animals in each dietary group were infused intravenously with [(13)C(1)]leucine for 6 h, and the jejunum was analyzed for enzyme activity, mRNA abundance, and LPH polypeptide isotopic enrichment. The remaining animals were fed the protein-sufficient diet for 1 wk, and the jejunum was analyzed. Jejunal mass and lactase enzyme activity per jejunum were significantly lower in protein-deficient vs. control animals but returned to normal with rehabilitation. Protein malnutrition did not affect LPH mRNA abundance relative to elongation factor-1alpha, but rehabilitation resulted in a significant increase in LPH mRNA relative abundance. Protein malnutrition significantly lowered the LPH fractional synthesis rate (FSR; %/day), whereas the FSR of LPH in rehabilitated and control animals was similar. These results suggest that protein malnutrition decreases LPH synthesis by altering posttranslational events, whereas the jejunum responds to rehabilitation by increasing LPH mRNA relative abundance, suggesting pretranslational regulation.

Influence of the diet made by its family ancestors in the hereditary component of an individual: study in six generations of rats

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of the deficiency of enzyme Lactase/phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) varies widely between different countries, with a low of 1-3% in Scandinavia and close to 100% in most of South-East Asia. Various carbohydrates are capable of enhancing LPH mRNA levels in the small intestine, and that transcriptional control plays a major role in the carbohydrate-induced alterations of LPH mRNA expression.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A generation of rats was randomized and assigned to two groups; those that were fed a high-carbohydrate diet and, those that were fed standard rodent meal. The sixth generation of these animals was fed standard rodent meal. Transfection experiments using Caco-2 cells were performed using sperm samples of the sixth generation of rats.

RESULTS

This study suggests that the feeding with a high-carbohydrate diet during five generations of rats increases the capacity of production of enzyme LPH, LPH mRNA levels and the transcription rate of the LPH gene in the sixth generation of these animals, and this fact happens independently of the diet that this generation of rats had. Transfection experiments show that this influence has had to take place necessarily within the hereditary component which the last generation of rats received from its family ancestors.

CONCLUSION

The feeding received by the ancestors of a generation of rats could influence within hereditary component received by them.

Interaction between the homeodomain proteins Cdx2 and HNF1alpha mediates expression of the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase is a brush-border enzyme which is specifically expressed in the small intestine where it hydrolyses lactose, the main carbohydrate found in milk. We have previously demonstrated in transgenic mice that the tissue-specific and developmental expression of lactase is controlled by a 1 kb upstream region of the pig lactase gene. Two homeodomain transcription factors, caudal-related homeodomain protein (Cdx2) and hepatic nuclear factor 1alpha (HNF1alpha), are known to bind to regulatory cis elements in the promoters for several intestine-specific genes, including lactase, and are present in mammalian intestinal epithelia from an early stage in development. In the present study, we examined whether Cdx2 and HNF1alpha physically interact and co-operatively activate transcription from the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase promoter. We show that the presence of both factors leads to a much higher level of transcription than the sum of the activation by either factor alone. The N-terminal activation domain of Cdx2 is required for maximal synergy with HNF1alpha. With the use of pull-down assays, we demonstrate a direct protein-protein interaction between Cdx2 and HNF1alpha. The interaction domain includes the homeodomain region of both proteins. This is the first demonstration of a functional interaction between two transcription factors involved in the activation of a number of intestine-specific genes. Synergistic interaction between tissue-restricted factors is likely to be an important mechanism for reinforcing developmental and tissue-specific gene expression within the intestine.

Dietary carbohydrates enhance lactase/phlorizin hydrolase gene expression at a transcription level in rat jejunum

We have previously shown that dietary sucrose stimulates the lactase/phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) mRNA accumulation along with a rise in lactase activity in rat jejunum [Goda, Yasutake, Suzuki, Takase and Koldovský (1995) Am. J. Physiol. 268, G1066-G1073]. To elucidate the mechanisms whereby dietary carbohydrates enhance the LPH mRNA expression, 7-week-old rats that had been fed a low-carbohydrate diet (5.5% of energy as starch) were given diets containing various monosaccharides or sucrose for 12h. Among carbohydrates examined, fructose, sucrose, galactose and glycerol elicited an increase in LPH mRNA accumulation along with a rise in lactase activity in the jejunum. By contrast, glucose and alpha-methylglucoside were unable to elicit a significant increase in LPH mRNA levels. To explore a transcriptional mechanism for the carbohydrate-induced increases in LPH mRNA levels, we employed two techniques currently available to estimate transcriptional rate, i.e. RNA protection assays of pre-mRNA using an intron probe, and nuclear run-on assays. Both assays revealed that fructose elicited an increase in transcription of the LPH gene, and that the transcription of LPH was influenced only slightly, if at all, by glucose intake. These results suggest that certain monosaccharides such as fructose or their metabolite(s) are capable of enhancing LPH mRNA levels in the small intestine, and that transcriptional control might play a major role in the carbohydrate-induced increase of LPH mRNA expression.

Protein kinetics determined in vivo with a multiple-tracer, single-sample protocol: application to lactase synthesis

Precise analysis of the kinetics of protein/enzyme turnover in vivo has been hampered by the need to obtain multiple tissue samples at different times during the course of a continuous tracer infusion. We hypothesized that the problem could be overcome by using an overlapping (i.e., staggered) infusion of multiple stable amino acid isotopomers, which would take the place of multiple tissue samples. We have measured, in pigs, the in vivo synthesis rates of precursor (rapidly turning over) and mature (slowly turning over) polypeptides of lactase phlorizin hydrolase (LPH), a model for glycoprotein synthesis, by using an overlapping infusion of [2H3]leucine, [13C1]leucine, [13C1]phenylalanine, [2H5]phenylalanine, [13C6]phenylalanine, and [2H8]phenylalanine. Blood samples were collected at timed intervals, and the small intestine was collected at the end of the infusion. The tracer-to-tracee ratios of each isotopomer were measured in the plasma and jejunal free amino acid pools as well as in purified LPH polypeptides. These values were used to estimate kinetic parameters in vivo using a linear steady-state compartmental model. The fractional synthesis rates of the high-mannose, complex glycosylated and mature brush-border LPH polypeptides, so determined, were 3.3 +/- 1.1%/min, 17.4 +/- 11%/min, and 0.089 +/- 0.02%/min, respectively. We conclude that this multiple-tracer, single-sample protocol is a practicable approach to the in vivo measurement of protein fractional synthesis rates when only a single tissue sample can be obtained. This method has broad application and should be particularly useful for studies in humans.

GATA-6 stimulates a cell line-specific activation element in the human lactase promoter

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) synthesis is restricted to differentiated small intestinal enterocytes and is highly regulated during development. Analysis of expression of LPH promoter segments fused with luciferase transfected in Caco-2 cells, a line that uniquely expresses LPH mRNA, mapped an 18-base pair (bp) segment 100 bp upstream of the transcription start site that is required for transactivation. Remarkably, the LPH upstream element (LUE) has no stimulatory activity in both human intestinal and nonintestinal lines in which LPH mRNA is absent. Electrophoretic analysis of sequence-specific DNA-nuclear protein complexes demonstrated the presence of a Caco-2 cell-specific protein(s) (CCP), which is uniformly absent in LPH nonproducer cell lines. Mutational analysis of the LUE demonstrated that bases contained within a GATA consensus motif are critical for both CCP binding and transcription from the LPH promoter. Caco-2 cells express high levels of GATA-6 mRNA in a cell line-specific manner, suggesting that GATA-6 is a CCP that complexes with the LUE. When expressed by a plasmid, GATA-6 transactivated the LPH promoter. The stimulation was abrogated with mutations in the GATA consensus motif as well as mutations in a flanking downstream element. These studies are consistent with an important role of an intestinal GATA binding protein in cell type-specific transactivation of the LPH promoter.

Parenteral nutrition selectively decreases protein synthesis in the small intestine

We investigated the effects of an elemental diet fed parenterally or enterally on total mucosal protein and lactase phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) synthesis. Catheters were placed in the stomach, jugular vein, and carotid artery of 12 3-day-old pigs. Half of the animals were given an elemental regimen enterally and the other half parenterally. Six days later, animals were infused intravenously with [2H3]leucine for 6 h and killed, and the midjejunum of each animal was collected for analysis. The weight of the midjejunum was 8 +/- 1.5 and 17 +/- 1.6 g in parenterally fed and enterally fed piglets, respectively. LPH activities (mumol.min-1.g protein-1) were significantly higher in parenterally vs. enterally fed piglets. Total small intestinal LPH activities were lower in parenterally vs. enterally fed animals. The abundance of LPH mRNA relative to elongation factor-1 alpha mRNA was not different between groups. The fractional synthesis rate of total mucosal protein and LPH was significantly lower in parenterally fed animals (67 +/- 7 and 66 +/- 7%/day, respectively) than in enterally fed animals (96 +/- 7 and 90 +/- 6%/day, respectively). The absolute synthesis rate (the amount of protein synthesized per gram of mucosa) of total mucosal protein was significantly lower in parenterally fed than in enterally fed piglets. However, the absolute synthesis rate of LPH was unaffected by the route of nutrient administration. These results suggest that the small intestine partially compensates for the effects of parenteral feeding by maintaining the absolute synthesis rate of LPH at the same levels as in enterally fed animals.

Lactase phlorizin hydrolase synthesis is decreased in protein-malnourished pigs

We have examined the effect of protein malnutrition on brush border (BB) lactase phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) synthesis in young pigs. Two groups of four 3-wk-old pigs were fed diets containing either 19 g soy protein, 63 g carbohydrate and 5 g fat per 100 g diet (a protein-sufficient diet) or 3 g soy protein, 85 g carbohydrate and 5 g fat per 100 g diet (a protein-deficient diet). After 8 wk of consuming the diets, pigs were infused intravenously with 2H3-leucine for 8 h, then killed. The jejunum was collected for measurement of lactase activity, LPH mRNA abundance and the rate of LPH post-translational synthesis. Lactase activities did not differ between groups (mean 8.1 +/- 1.2 micromol x min(-1) x g mucosa(-1)). LPH mRNA abundance relative to elongation factor-1alpha mRNA (the constitutive/reference mRNA) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in well-nourished pigs (0.36 +/- 0.03%) than in protein-malnourished pigs (0.21 +/- 0.02%). The rate constants of BB LPH post-translational synthesis were also significantly higher in the well-nourished (103 +/- 9% x d(-1)) than in the protein-malnourished pigs (66 +/- 8% x d(-1)). Further, the absolute synthesis rate of BB LPH, a measure of the amount of enzyme synthesized per gram of tissue, was significantly higher in well-nourished than in protein-malnourished pigs (in arbitrary units, 892 +/- 90 vs. 450 +/- 34, respectively). Thus, protein malnutrition affects both LPH mRNA abundance and post-translational processing in young pigs.

Regulation of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene expression by the caudal-related homoeodomain protein Cdx-2

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase is exclusively expressed in the small intestine and is often used as a marker for the differentiation of enterocytes. The cis-element CE-LPH1 found in the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase promoter has previously been shown to bind an intestinal-specific nuclear factor. By electrophoretic mobility-shift assay it was shown that the factor Cdx-2 (a homoeodomain-protein related to caudal) binds to a TTTAC sequence in the CE-LPH1. Furthermore it was demonstrated that Cdx-2 is able to activate reporter gene transcription by binding to CE-LPH1. A mutation in CE-LPH1, which does not affect Cdx-2 binding, results in a higher transcriptional activity, indicating that the CE-LPH1 site contains other binding site(s) in addition to the Cdx-2-binding site.

Lactase phlorhizin hydrolase turnover in vivo in water-fed and colostrum-fed newborn pigs

We have estimated the synthesis rates in vivo of precursor and brush-border (BB) polypeptides of lactase phlorhizin hydrolase (LPH) in newborn pigs fed with water or colostrum for 24h post partum. At the end of the feeding period, piglets were anaesthetized and infused intravenously for 3h with L-[4-3H]- phenylalanine. Blood and jejunal samples were collected at timed intervals. The precursor and BB forms of LPH were isolated from jejunal mucosa by immunoprecipitation followed by SDS/PAGE, and their specific radioactivity in Phe determined. The kinetics of precursor and BB LPH labelling were analysed by using a linear compartmental model. Immunoisolated LPH protein consisted of five polypeptides [high-mannose LPH precursor (proLPHh), complex glycosylated LPH precursor (proLPHe), intermediate complex glycosylated LPH precursor (proLPH1i) and two forms of BB LPH]. The fractional synthesis rate (Ks) of proLPHh and proLPHc (approx. 5%/min) were the same in the two groups but the absolute synthesis rate (in arbitrary units, min-1) of proLPHh in the colostrum-fed animals was twice that of the water-fed animals. The Ks values of proLPHi polypeptides were significantly different (water-fed, 3.89%/min; colostrum-fed, 1.6%/min), but the absolute synthesis rates did not differ. The Ks of BB LPH was not different between experimental treatment groups (on average 0.037%/min). However, the proportion of newly synthesized proLPHh processed to BB LPH was 48% lower in colostrum-fed than in water-fed animals. We conclude that in neonatal pigs, the ingestion of colostrum stimulates the synthesis of proLPHh but, at least temporarily, disrupts the processing of proLPH polypeptides to the BB enzyme.

Prenatal ethanol exposure alters the expression of intestinal hydrolase mRNAs in newborn rats

To gain insight into the postnatal growth delay induced by ethanol in utero, we characterized functional impairments of the small intestine of neonatal rats prenatally exposed to ethanol using a well-described model of gestational alcoholism (25% ethanol w/v in the drinking water). Expression of the intestinal enzymes-lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP)-that are critical for enteral nutrition of neonates was studied. Characteristic patterns of LPH and IAP expression along the proximal-distal (horizontal) and crypt-villus (vertical) axes of the small intestine, as well as the intracellular localization of LPH and IAP mRNAs and immunoreactive proteins within absorptive enterocytes, were not altered by prenatal exposure to ethanol. However, a 10- to 15-fold increase in the number of LPH and IAP mRNA molecules per absorptive enterocyte was found throughout the intestine of ethanol-exposed neonates, compared with controls, whereas lactase and alkaline phosphatase activities per enterocyte remained unchanged. These findings suggest that ethanol in utero alters the mRNA abundance of epithelial enzymes in newborn rat small intestine. Changes in mRNA abundance could be an important aspect of enterocyte adaptation to high ethanol concentrations in gastrointestinal amniotic fluid of ethanol-exposed fetuses.

Maturation of human intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase: generation of the brush border form of the enzyme involves at least two proteolytic cleavage steps

Human lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH), a brush border membrane hydrolase of the small intestine, is synthesized as a precursor molecule that undergoes proteolytic cleavage to yield mature LPH (LPHbeta) by a trypsin-like protease (Naim et al., 1987, 1991). Arg868-Ala869 has been previously proposed to be the putative cleavage site for this processing step. Site-directed mutagenesis of this monobasic site does not lead to the generation of an uncleaved proLPH species, which strongly suggests the existence of an additional cleavage site. Further analyses of LPH synthesized in different cell lines lend support to this hypothesis. Biosynthetic labeling of human intestinal biopsy samples in the presence of trypsin reveals an LPHbeta species that is slightly smaller than the intracellularly cleaved molecule. When the proLPH molecule is screened for potential cleavage sites, two dibasic pairs are revealed upstream of the N-terminal end of brush border LPH at Lys851-Arg852 and Arg830-Lys831. Treatment of proLPH with trypsin for different periods of time supports the idea of at least two cleavage steps, whereby Arg868-Ala869 represents the final cleavage site that generates LPHbeta. We propose that the initial cleavage of proLPH takes place intracellularly at a site further away from Arg868-Ala869, to generate LPHbeta initial; LPHbeta is subsequently cleaved extracellularly in the gut lumen, presumably by trypsin, at Arg868-Ala869 to mature brush border LPH (LPHbeta initial).

Folding of human intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase

The folding of human intestinal prolactase-phlorizin hydrolase (pro-LPH) has been analyzed in a cell-free transcription/translation system. In the presence of the thiol oxidant GSSG, disulfide bond formation in pro-LPH can be promoted concomitant with the binding of the molecule to a conformation-specific monoclonal anti-LPH antibody. Under these conditions, pro-LPH does not bind to the molecular chaperone BiP. In the absence of GSSG, on the other hand, pro-LPH does not bind to the monoclonal anti-LPH antibody, but can be immunoprecipitated with a polyclonal antibody that is directed against a denatured form of the enzyme. In this case, interaction of pro-LPH with immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein can be discerned. The results demonstrate the existence of intramolecular disulfide bonds that are essential for the promotion of pro-LPH to a native conformation. Furthermore, BiP is involved in the folding events of pro-LPH.

Further characterization of the 5'-flanking region of the rat lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene

The lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene is widely used as a marker of intestinal differentiation. Recent evidence demonstrating that transcription plays a major role in the regulation of this gene suggests that study of the 5'-flanking region will allow an understanding of how the expression of this gene is controlled. However, sequence, restriction, and primer extension analysis of a rat genomic clone has revealed that previously published data are incomplete. In the present study, we used a directed sequencing strategy to carefully analyze this region. Our expanded analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene should facilitate future studies of its structure and function.

Brush-border disaccharidase synthesis in infant pigs measured in vivo with [2H3]leucine

Conscious unrestrained piglets were fasted overnight and infused intravenously with [2H3]leucine for 6 h. Sucrase isomaltase and lactase phlorizin hydrolase were immunoprecipitated from jejunal mucosal membranes, and the immunoprecipitates were electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels. Bands corresponding to the pro and mature isoforms of both enzymes were acid hydrolyzed. [2H3]leucine isotopic enrichment was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using negative chemical ionization. Plasma leucine reached isotopic steady state within 90 min. The isotopic enrichment of mucosal leucine was 73% of that of plasma leucine. The high mannose and complex glycosylated forms of prolactase were in isotopic equilibrium, and their isotopic enrichment was 94% of mucosal leucine. The fractional synthesis rates of total and membrane protein were 0.45 and 0.65 days-1, whereas the processing rates of mature lactase, sucrase, and isomaltase were 0.90, 0.23, and 0.21 days-1, respectively. Approximately 65% of the label in the sucrase isomaltase immunoprecipitate was in the complex glycosylated precursor, whereas 73% of the label in lactase phlorizin hydrolase was in the mature (160 kDa) form. We conclude that the low rate of brush-border sucrase synthesis reflects a slow rate at which the complex glycosylated precursor is processed to the brush-border form.

Transcriptional regulation of intestinal hydrolase biosynthesis during postnatal development in rats

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) are intestine-specific microvillus membrane hydrolases whose specific activities demonstrate reciprocal regulation during development but whose mechanisms of regulation have not been fully defined. To investigate transcriptional control of these two proteins, the rat LPH and SI genes were cloned, and antisense probes for preprocessed mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) were developed from intron sequence. LPH mRNA, as measured by quantitative ribonuclease (RNase) protection assays, was abundant before weaning and decreased two- to fourfold during weaning, whereas SI mRNA was first detected 14 days after birth and increased rapidly to abundant levels by age 28 days. LPH and SI pre-mRNA levels paralleled those of their respective mRNAs. LPH transcriptional rate declined during weaning, whereas that of SI increased during this time as determined by RNase protection assays of pre-mRNAs and nuclear run-on assays. In the adult rat, LPH mRNA was restricted to the jejunum and proximal ileum, whereas SI mRNA was detected throughout the small intestine, a pattern regulated by transcriptional rate as confirmed by nuclear run-on assays. Lactase and sucrase specific activities correlated well with their respective protein and mRNA concentrations in all experiments. We conclude that gene transcription plays a major role in the developmental and horizontal regulation of LPH and SI biosynthesis and that these two genes are regulated differently in rat small intestine.

Expression of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase in sheep is regulated at the RNA level

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) is expressed on the intestinal brush border and is responsible for the hydrolysis of lactose, the chief sugar in mammalian milk. The enzyme activity of LPH peaks soon after birth in most mammals and declines to much lower levels before adolescence. The molecular basis of this pattern of expression has not been clearly established. We have measured relative amounts of LPH mRNA in intestine from sheep with ages across a developmental spectrum, including third trimester fetal lambs, newborn lambs and adult sheep. LPH mRNA levels in the jejunum decline approximately 50-fold between infancy and adulthood, in parallel with the reduction in both lactase specific activity and immunologically reactive lactase protein expression in sheep jejunum. LPH mRNA is present in high concentration in the duodenum of newborn lambs, but steadily declines by day 34 and is dramatically reduced in adults. Because the changes in LPH mRNA, protein, and enzymic activity are generally parallel, we conclude that the developmental regulation of LPH in sheep is probably mediated primarily at the mRNA level.

Transport, function, and sorting of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH), a small intestinal brush-border glycoprotein, is synthesized as a single chain precursor (pro-LPH, M(r) = 215,000-230,000) that undergoes cleavage to the final mature form (LPHm, M(r) = 160,000 in the human). In the human and pig small intestine as well as in the colon carcinoma cell line Caco-2, this cleavage takes place intracellularly prior to insertion into the brush-border membrane. To assess the role of proteolytic cleavage on the transport, function, and sorting of LPH a stable Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line was generated which expresses LPH (denoted as MDCK-ML). Biosynthetic labeling experiments demonstrated that the transport kinetics and posttranslational processing pattern of LPH in this cell line are similar to those in intestinal cells. Moreover, the enzymatic activity was found to be indistinguishable from that of brush-border LPH (LPHm). The sorting of LPH was studied by biosynthetic labeling of cells grown on filters followed by cell surface immunoprecipitation. Here, we could demonstrate that the cleaved LPHm molecule was predominantly found at the apical membrane, whereas complex glycosylated uncleaved pro-LPH (pro-LPHc) was targeted to both domains, the apical as well as the basolateral. In pulse-chase experiments at 20 degrees C pro-LPH was arrested in the trans-Golgi network, and cleavage to LPHm did not take place. By contrast, when the chase temperature was raised to 37 degrees C transport of pro-LPHc resumed, and cleavage to LPHm occurred. We conclude that the proteolytic cleavage of pro-LPHc to LPHm is a post-trans-Golgi network event and is most likely not implicated in the sorting of LPH by exposition of otherwise masked sorting elements.

Induction of lactase biosynthesis in the human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2

The human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 forms monolayers of differentiated enterocyte-like cells when cultured on permeable supports. After confluency, Caco-2 cells express a number of brush-border enzymes including lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, sucrase-isomaltase and dipeptidylpeptidase IV. We have studied, with particular emphasis on lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, the modulation of biosynthesis of these enzymes by stimulating second messenger systems. Forskolin induced lactase-phlorizin hydrolase synthesis approximately fourfold within 7 h, suppressed sucrase-isomaltase synthesis, and had little effect on dipeptidylpeptidase IV. Dibutyryl-cAMP, 8-bromo-cAMP and vasoactive intestinal peptide also increased lactase-phlorizin hydrolase biosynthesis, indicating c-AMP dependent regulation. The induction of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase biosynthesis could be inhibited by actinomycin D and was preceded by a fourfold increase in lactase-phlorizin hydrolase mRNA levels, suggesting transcriptional control. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate had an inhibitory effect on brush-border enzyme synthesis, in particular on sucrase-isomaltase, and blocked the forskolin-induced biosynthesis of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase. Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase synthesis was also inducible by hydrocortisone, but maximal induction required at least 3 days during which time sucrase-isomaltase synthesis diminished. The results indicate opposite regulation of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase and sucrase-isomaltase via cAMP and corticosteroids, and suggest that the Caco-2 cell line can serve as a model system to study aspects of the humoral regulation of human intestinal brush-border enzymes in cell culture.

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase and aminopeptidase N are differentially regulated in the small intestine of the pig

The longitudinal expression of two brush-border enzymes, lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (EC 3.2.1.23/62) and aminopeptidase N (EC 3.4.11.2), was studied in the small intestine of the post-weaned pig. Whereas the level of mRNA, encoding aminopeptidase N (relative to that of beta-actin), only varied moderately from the duodenum to the terminal ileum, the amount of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase mRNA exhibited a sharp maximum in the proximal jejunum. For both enzymes, the level of protein synthesis, studied in cultured mucosal explants, correlated well with the level of mRNA, and no major variation in post-translational processing or intracellular transport was observed along the intestine. The mRNA/specific-activity ratio for both enzymes was markedly (3-5-fold) higher in the duodenum and proximal jejunum, compared with the ileum. This indicates an increased proximal turnover rate, most likely caused by the presence in the gut lumen of pancreatic proteases. In neonatal animals, the level of mRNA for lactase-phlorizin hydrolase in both proximal and distal regions of the intestine was of the same magnitude as in the proximal jejunum of the post-weaned pigs. Our results point to two mechanisms that affect the expression of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase in the pig during development: (1) a primary regulation at the level of mRNA (predominantly in the ileum); (2) an increased rate of turnover of the enzyme, mainly in the duodenum and proximal jejunum, and most likely due to an increased secretion into the gut lumen of pancreatic proteases (a mechanism also affecting aminopeptidase N and probably other brush-border enzymes as well).

In vitro biosynthesis of lactase in suckling and adult rabbits. Regulatory mechanisms involved in the decline of the lactase activity

Steady state forms, levels and the in vitro biosynthesis of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) proteins have been studied in proximal and middle intestine of suckling and adult rabbits. In most adult tissues the lactase activity and the LPH protein content were low and the synthesis rate of the 200 kDa lactase precursor was reduced in comparison to suckling tissues. In a few tissues with low enzymatic activity the LPH protein content was relatively high, and high lactase synthesis occurred. In addition, the ratio (labeled lactase)/(lactase protein) was lower in the middle jejunum of the adult rabbit than in the proximal region. Both decreased synthesis of LPH precursor and increased turnover or inactivation of the enzyme may cause the decline of the lactase activity.

Processing of human pro-lactase-phlorizin hydrolase at reduced temperatures: cleavage is preceded by complex glycosylation

Intracellular processing of human intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) includes an essential proteolytic cleavage step that generates the mature brush border enzyme from the single-chain polypeptide precursor (pro-LPH). Previous work in organ culture of small intestinal biopsy samples [Naim, Sterchi & Lentze (1987) Biochem. J. 241, 427-434] has demonstrated that this cleavage occurs intracellularly. Since no intermediate forms of pro-LPH (trimmed or complex glycosylated) could be discerned in pulse-chase analyses it was suggested that the cleavage process occurs at a fast rate. To identify intermediate forms of pro-LPH prior to cleavage, I studied the biosynthesis of LPH by employing a pulse-chase protocol in mucosa explants (or biopsies) at reduced temperatures (22 degrees C). Here, I could identify by immunoprecipitation with monoclonal anti-LPH antibodies four LPH forms that exhibited a product-precursor relationship:mannose-rich precursor (pro-LPHh), trimmed pro-LPH (LPHt), complex glycosylated pro-LPH (pro-LPHc) and cleaved, mature LPH (LPHm). The results clearly indicate that the generation of mature LPH is preceded by complex glycosylation of the precursor form. The fact that this was not previously observed in the same experimental system under normal biosynthetic labelling conditions (37 degrees C) demonstrates that the cleavage process of pro-LPH occurs at a fast rate in the human small intestine.

Synthesis and accumulation of protein and carbohydrases along the rat villus column

Enterocytes of the intestinal mucosa of infant and adult rats continuously proliferate in the crypt, mature as they migrate along the villus column, and are discharged from the villus tip. We examined the synthesis patterns of total protein, lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, sucrase-isomaltase, and maltase-glucoamylase as well as the accumulation of these enzymes in cells during migration along the villus. Labeled leucine was administered intraperitoneally to suckling and young adult rats, and radioactivity was determined in protein and digestive carbohydrase pools of developing villus cells separated sequentially from tip to base of the villus column. The developing cells were found to continuously accumulate protein and carbohydrates as they ascended the villus column. In addition, incorporation of radioactivity into total protein and carbohydrase pools occurred at generally constant rates along the length of the villus. These studies showed that the differentiated enterocyte of both infant and young adult rat intestine exhibits a pattern of continuous growth while migrating the length of the villus column and maintains synthesis of protein and digestive carbohydrates at generally constant rates during this time.

Biogenesis of intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase in adults with lactose intolerance. Evidence for reduced biosynthesis and slowed-down maturation in enterocytes

Enzymatic activity, biosynthesis, and maturation of lactasephlorizin hydrolase (LPH) were investigated in adult volunteers with suspected lactose intolerance. Mean LPH activity in jejunal biopsy homogenates of these individuals was 31% compared to LPH-persistent individuals, and was accompanied by a reduced level of LPH-protein. Mean sucrase activity in individuals with low LPH was increased to 162% and was accompanied by an increase in sucrase-isomaltase (SI)-protein. Biosynthesis of LPH, SI, and aminopeptidase N (APN) was studied in organ culture of small intestinal biopsy specimens. In individuals with LPH restriction, the rate of synthesis of LPH was drastically decreased, reaching just 6% of the LPH-persistent group after 20 h of culture, while the rate of synthesis of SI appeared to be increased. In addition, maturation of pro-LPH to mature LPH occurred at a slower rate in LPH-restricted tissue. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed an accumulation of immunoreactive LPH in the Golgi region of enterocytes from LPH-restricted individuals and reduced labeling of microvillus membranes. Therefore, lactose intolerance in adults is mainly due to a decreased biosynthesis of LPH, either at the transcriptional or translational level. In addition, intracellular transport and maturation is retarded in some of the LPH-restricted individuals, and this leads to an accumulation of newly synthesized LPH in the Golgi and a failure of LPH to reach the microvillus membrane.

Biosynthesis of intestinal microvillar proteins. Dimerization of aminopeptidase N and lactase-phlorizin hydrolase

The pig intestinal brush border enzymes aminopeptidase N (EC 3.4.11.2) and lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (EC 3.2.1.23-62) are present in the microvillar membrane as homodimers. Dimethyl adipimidate was used to cross-link the two [35S]methionine-labeled brush border enzymes from cultured mucosal explants. For aminopeptidase N, dimerization did not begin until 5-10 min after synthesis, and maximal dimerization by cross-linking of the transient form of the enzyme required 1 h, whereas the mature form of aminopeptidase N cross-linked with unchanged efficiency from 45 min to 3 h of labeling. Formation of dimers of this enzyme therefore occurs prior to the Golgi-associated processing, and the slow rate of dimerization may be the rate-limiting step in the transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. For lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, the posttranslational processing includes a proteolytic cleavage of its high molecular weight precursor. Since only the mature form and not the precursor of this enzyme could be cross-linked, formation of tightly associated dimers only takes place after transport out of the endoplasmic reticulum. Dimerization of the two brush border enzymes therefore seems to occur in different organelles of the enterocyte.

Suckling rat colon synthesizes and processes active lactase-phlorizin hydrolase immunologically identical to that from jejunum

To identify potential tissue-specific characteristics of intestinal glycoprotein synthesis and processing, rat intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (L-Ph) was studied after pulse-labeling of colonic explants from 5-d-old suckling rats in organ culture and the data compared to similar studies in rat jejunum. Histologic sections of 5-d-old proximal colon showed villus-like structures lined with columnar epithelial cells. Lactase and phlorizin hydrolase activities showed tissue-specific developmental patterns. Using a MAb to small intestinal L-Ph, we were able to immunoprecipitate from colon at different ages a protein that hydrolyzed lactose and phlorizin, and whose activity was not inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate. After pulse-labeling for 60 min and chase for 30 min, immunoprecipitated L-Ph from total homogenates of rat colonic explants appeared on fluorography of SDS-PAGE as one band of approximately 205 kD. With increasing time of chase, it took 240 min before the precursor form was converted to the intermediate form (equivalent to the 180-kD form in jejunum) and the mature form (equivalent to the 130-kD form in jejunum), although these conversions in the jejunum were observed within 60 min of chase, and only 30 min of pulse labeling. When compared on SDS-PAGE to immunoprecipitated jejunal L-Ph, the precursor form in the colon had a slightly higher apparent mol wt than the corresponding precursor form found in the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi fraction of the jejunum. The intermediate as well as the mature L-Ph forms in the colon were also both somewhat higher in apparent molecular weight than the same bands in the microvillus membrane fraction from jejunal explants. Removal of N-linked oligosaccharides from jejunum and colonic forms of L-Ph produced bands on SDS-PAGE with identical mobility, suggesting that the proteins were the same. The data demonstrate that, in neonatal colon, enzymatically active L-Ph undergoes biosynthetic and processing events similar to those in the jejunum. During early life, colonic L-Ph may function in the salvage of lactose not absorbed in the small intestine.

Dietary CHO and stimulation of carbohydrases along villus column of fasted rat jejunum

Adult rats when fed a high carbohydrate diet of 70% sucrose or glucose for 24 h following a 4-day fast showed increased concentrations of intestinal sucrase-isomaltase (EC 3.2.1.48, EC 3.2.1.10) and maltase-glucoamylase (EC 3.2.1.20) but not lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (EC 3.2.1.23, EC 3.2.1.62). The concentration increases of these enzymes were accompanied by corresponding acceleration of their synthesis rates. Contrary to earlier studies by others, suggesting that upper villus cells in the fasted intestine are unresponsive to stimulation of sucrase activity by refeeding a high-sucrose diet, the concentration increases of both sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase were seen to occur in cells all along the length of the villus column. The earlier studies differed from the present study by basing enzyme assays relative to protein rather than the DNA content of villus cell fractions. We have shown that villus cells increase their protein content severalfold while migrating to villus tip, providing the basis for the difference between earlier and the present findings. Further evidence that stimulation of sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase by high carbohydrate is not restricted to the crypt and lower villus region was obtained by the finding that their synthesis rates appeared to be equally stimulated along the length of the villus column.

Complete primary structure of human and rabbit lactase-phlorizin hydrolase: implications for biosynthesis, membrane anchoring and evolution of the enzyme

We report the primary structures of human and rabbit brush border membrane beta-glycosidase complexes (pre-pro-lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, or pre-pro-LPH, EC 3.2.1.23-62), as deduced from cDNA sequences. The human and rabbit primary translation products contain 1927 and 1926 amino acids respectively. Based on the data, as well as on peptide sequences and further biochemical data, we conclude that the proteins comprise five domains: (i) a cleaved signal sequence of 19 amino acids; (ii) a large 'pro' portion of 847 amino acids (rabbit), none of which appears in mature, membrane-bound LPH; (iii) the mature LPH, which contains both the lactase and phlorizin hydrolase activities in a single polypeptide chain; (iv) a membrane-spanning hydrophobic segment near the carboxy terminus, which serves as membrane anchor; and (v) a short hydrophilic segment at the carboxy terminus, which must be cytosolic (i.e. the protein has an Nout-Cin orientation). The genes have a 4-fold internal homology, suggesting that they evolved by two cycles of partial gene duplication. This repetition also implies that parts of the 'pro' portion are very similar to parts of mature LPH, and hence that the 'pro' portion may be a water-soluble beta-glycosidase with another cellular location than LPH. Our results have implications for the decline of LPH after weaning and for human adult-type alactasia, and for the evolutionary history of LPH.

Biosynthesis, glycosylation, and intracellular transport of intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase in rat

The biosynthesis of rat intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase was studied by pulse-labeling of jejunal explants from 5-day-old suckling rats in organ culture. Explants were either continuously labeled with [35S] methionine for 15, 30, and 60 min or pulse-labeled for 30 min and chased for various periods of time up to 6 h in the presence or absence of protease inhibitors (PI), leupeptin, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and soybean trypsin inhibitor. Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase was immunoprecipitated from microvillus membrane (MVM) and ER-Golgi fractions with monoclonal antibodies. After pulse-labeling, lactase-phlorizin hydrolase from the ER-Golgi fraction appeared on SDS-PAGE as one band of approximately 220 kDa, regardless of the presence or absence of PI in the culture media. The 220-kDa protein band could also be labeled after incubation with [2-3H]mannose. In the absence of PI, the 220-kDa band appeared in the MVM by 30 min chase, simultaneously with a 180-kDa band, and by 60 min of chase an additional band of 130 kDa was seen. With increasing time of chase, the relative intensity of the 130-kDa band increased, whereas that of the 220-kDa band decreased, suggesting a precursor-product relationship. When PI were added to the medium, the formation of the 180-kDa band was not affected, but the conversion of the 180-kDa protein to the 130-kDa protein was virtually blocked. These findings suggest that lactase-phlorizin hydrolase is initially synthesized as a glycosylated precursor of 220 kDa, which is transported to the MVM. There it undergoes the following two cleavages: first, to the 180-kDa form, which is not prevented by PI used in these experiments, and second, to the 130-kDa form inhibited by PI.

Biosynthesis of intestinal microvillar proteins. Intracellular processing of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase

The biosynthesis of pig small intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (EC 3.2.1.23-62) was studied by labelling of organ cultured mucosal explants with [35S]methionine. The earliest detactable form of the enzyme was an intracellular, membrane-bound polypeptide of Mr 225 000, sensitive to endo H as judged by its increased electrophoretic mobility (Mr 210 000 after treatment). The labelling of this form decreased during a chase of 120 min and instead two polypeptides of Mr 245 000 and 160 000 occurred, which both barely had their electrophoretic mobility changed by treatment with endo H. The Mr 160 000 polypeptide is of the same size as the mature lactase-phlorizin hydrolase and was the only form expressed in the microvillar membrane. Together, these data are indicative of an intracellular proteolytic cleavage during transport. The presence of leupeptin during labelling prevented the appearance of the Mr 160 000 form but not that of the Mr 245 000 polypeptide, suggesting that the proteolytic cleavage takes place after trimming and complex glycosylation. The proteolytic cleavage was not essential for the transport since the precursor was expressed in the microvillar membrane in the presence of leupeptin.

Evidence for biosynthesis of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase as a single-chain high-molecular weight precursor

Precursor forms of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, sucrase-isomaltase and aminopeptidase N were studied by pulse-labelling of organ-cultured human intestinal biopsies. After labelling the biopsies were fractionated by the Ca2+-precipitation method and the enzymes isolated by immunoprecipitation. The results indicate that the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase is synthesized as a Mr 245 000 polypeptide, which is intracellularly cleaved into its mature Mr 160 000 form. Sucrase-isomaltase is shown to be synthesized as a single chain precursor (Mr 245 000 and 265 000) while the precursor of aminopeptidase N is shown to be of apparently the same size as the mature enzyme (Mr 140 000 and 160 000).