Background & Aims-KPV is a tripeptide (Lys-Pro-Val) which possesses anti-inflammatory properties however its mechanisms of action still remain unknown. PepT1 is a di/tripeptide transporter normally expressed in the small intestine and induced in colon during inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to 1) investigate whether KPV anti-inflammatory effect is PepT1-mediated in intestinal epithelial and immune cells, and 2) examine KPV anti-inflammatory effect in two models of mice colitis.

Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions are of utmost importance in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. For example, cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions are crucial for leukocyte homing and recruitment to inflammatory sites. The discovery of the disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) proteins, which have both adhesive and proteolytic activities, raised the question of their involvement in inflammatory processes. More interestingly, the presence of the RGD integrin-binding sequence in the disintegrin domain of ADAM-15 (MDC-15; metargidin) highlighted ADAM-15 as a protein particularly involved in cell-cell interactions. These findings therefore prompted authors to investigate the roles of ADAM-15 in inflammatory diseases. Because of the early description of ADAM-15 expression in endothelial cells, work first focused on the roles of ADAM-15 in vascular diseases, and ADAM-15 was found to be associated with atherosclerosis. Other studies also pointed at ADAM-15 as a mediator of rheumatoid arthritis and intestinal inflammation as well as inherent angiogenesis. The roles of ADAM-15 in these diseases appear to involve mechanisms as different as cell-cell interactions, cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, and shedding activity. Here we review and discuss these recent discoveries pointing to ADAM-15 as a mediator of mechanisms underlying inflammation and as a possible therapeutic target for prevention of inflammatory diseases.

BackgroundPepT1, an intestinal epithelial apical di/tripeptide transporter, is normally expressed in the small intestine and induced in colon during chronic inflammation. This study aimed at investigating PepT1 regulation by butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced by commensal bacteria and accumulated inside inflamed colonocyte.ResultsWe found that butyrate treatment of human intestinal epithelial Caco2-BBE cells increased human PepT1 (hPepT1) promoter activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with maximal activity observed in cells treated with 5 mM butyrate for 24 h. Under this condition, hPepT1 promoter activity, mRNA and protein expression levels were increased as assessed by luciferase assay, real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. hPepT1 transport activity was accordingly increased by ∼2.5-fold. Butyrate did not alter hPepT1 mRNA half-life indicating that butyrate acts at the transcriptional level. Molecular analyses revealed that Cdx2 is the most important transcription factor for butyrate-induced increase of hPepT1 expression and activity in Caco2-BBE cells. Butyrate-activated Cdx2 binding to hPepT1 promoter was confirmed by gel shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Moreover, Caco2-BBE cells overexpressing Cdx2 exhibited greater hPepT1 expression level than wild-type cells. Finally, treatment of mice with 5 mM butyrate added to drinking water for 24 h increased colonic PepT1 mRNA and protein expression levels, as well as enhanced PepT1 transport activity in colonic apical membranes vesicles.ConclusionsCollectively, our results demonstrate that butyrate increases PepT1 expression and activity in colonic epithelial cells, which provides a new understanding of PepT1 regulation during chronic inflammation.

SUMMARY The intracellular signaling molecule TRAF6 is critical for Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated activation of dendritic cells (DCs). We now report that DC-specific deletion of TRAF6 (TRAF6ΔDC) resulted, unexpectedly, in loss of mucosal tolerance, characterized by spontaneous development of T helper 2 (Th2) cells in the lamina propria, and eosinophilic enteritis and fibrosis in the small intestine. Loss of tolerance required the presence of gut commensal microbiota, but was independent of DC-expressed MyD88. Further, TRAF6ΔDC mice exhibited decreased regulatory T (Treg) cell numbers in the small intestine, and diminished induction of iTreg cells in response to model antigen. Evidence suggested this defect was associated with diminished DC expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2). Finally, we demonstrate that aberrant Th2 cell-associated responses in TRAF6ΔDC mice could be mitigated via restoration of Treg cell activity. Collectively, our findings reveal a role for TRAF6 in directing DC maintenance of intestinal immune tolerance through balanced induction of Treg versus Th2 cell immunity.

PepT1 is a di/tripeptide transporter highly expressed in the small intestine, but poorly or not expressed in the colon. However, during chronic inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease, PepT1 expression is induced in the colon. Commensal bacteria that colonize the human colon produce a large amount of di/tripeptides. To date, two bacterial peptides (N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine and muramyl dipeptide) have been identified as substrates of PepT1. We hypothesized that the proinflammatory tripeptide l-Ala-gamma-d-Glu-meso-DAP (Tri-DAP), a breakdown product of bacterial peptidoglycan, is transported into intestinal epithelial cells via PepT1. We found that uptake of glycine-sarcosine, a specific substrate of PepT1, in intestinal epithelial Caco2-BBE cells was inhibited by Tri-DAP in a dose-dependent manner. Tri-DAP induced activation of NF-kappaB and MAP kinases, consequently leading to production of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-8. Tri-DAP-induced inflammatory response in Caco2-BBE cells was significantly suppressed by silencing of PepT1 expression by using PepT1-shRNAs in a tetracycline-regulated expression (Tet-off) system. Colonic epithelial HT29-Cl.19A cells, which do not express PepT1 under basal condition, were mostly insensitive to Tri-DAP-induced inflammation. However, HT29-Cl.19A cells exhibited proinflammatory response to Tri-DAP upon stable transfection with a plasmid encoding PepT1. Accordingly, Tri-DAP significantly increased keratinocyte-derived chemokine production in colonic tissues from transgenic mice expressing PepT1 in intestinal epithelial cells. Finally, Tri-DAP induced a significant drop in intracellular pH in intestinal epithelial cells expressing PepT1, but not in cells that did not express PepT1. Our data collectively support the classification of Tri-DAP as a novel substrate of PepT1. Given that PepT1 is highly expressed in the colon during inflammation, PepT1-mediated Tri-DAP transport may occur more effectively during such conditions, further contributing to intestinal inflammation.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is thought to result

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The transporter PepT1, apically expressed in intestinal epithelial cells, is responsible for the uptake of di/tripeptides. PepT1 is also expressed in nonpolarized immune cells. Here we investigated the localization of PepT1 in lipid rafts in small intestinal brush border membranes (BBMs) and polarized and nonpolarized cells, as well as functional consequences of the association of PepT1 with lipid rafts. Immunoblot analysis showed the presence of PepT1 in low-density fractions isolated from mouse intestinal BBMs, polarized intestinal Caco2-BBE cells, and nonpolarized Jurkat cells by solubilization in ice-cold 0.5% Triton X-100 and sucrose gradient fractionation. PepT1 colocalized with lipid raft markers GM1 and N-aminopeptidase in intestinal BBMs and Caco2-BBE cell membranes. Disruption of lipid rafts with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) shifted PepT1 from low- to high-density fractions. Remarkably, we found that MβCD treatment increased PepT1 transport activity in polarized intestinal epithelia but decreased that in intestinal BBM vesicles and nonpolarized immune cells. Mutational analysis showed that phenylalanine 293, phenylalanine 297, and threonine 281 in transmembrane segment 7 of the human di/tripeptide transporter, hPepT1, are important for the targeting to lipid rafts and transport activity of hPepT1. In conclusion, the association of PepT1 with lipid rafts differently modulates its transport activity in polarized and nonpolarized cells.