Dietary nucleotides increase the mucosal IgA response and the secretion of transforming growth factor β from intestinal epithelial cells in mice

• Published in: Cytotechnology (Dordrecht) Vol. 40; no. 1-3; pp. 49 - 58
• Main Authors: NAGAFUCHI, Shinya, TOTSUKA, Mamoru, HACHIMURA, Satoshi, GOTO, Masao, TAKAHASHI, Takeshi, YAJIMA, Takaji, KUWATA, Tamotsu, KAMINOGAWA, Shuichi
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.11.2002; Springer Nature B.V; Kluwer Academic Publishers
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Diet; Epithelial cells; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth factors; Immune system; Immunoglobulin A; Interleukin 7; Intestine; Lymphocytes T; Mucosa; Nucleotides; Ovalbumin; T cell receptors; Transforming growth factor-b; Transgenic mice; IgA response; intestinal epithelial cells; T-cell receptor γδ+ T cells; transforming growth factor β; dietary nucleotides; intraepithelial lymphocytes
• ISSN: 0920-9069; 1573-0778
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1023962021081

We have investigated the influence of dietary nucleotides on the intestinal immune system in ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice (OVA-TCR Tg mice). When mice were supplied with water supplemented with 2% OVA ad libitum, the faecal OVA-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) level significantly increased in those fed a nucleotide-supplemented diet (NT(+) diet) compared with those fed a nucleotide-free control diet (NT(-) diet). In the NT(+) diet-fed mice, secretion of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), which is an isotype-specific switch factor for IgA, from intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) was significantly increased. Furthermore, an increased proportion of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) bearing gammadelta TCR (TCRgammadelta(+) IELs) and increased secretion from IECs of interleukin 7 (IL-7), which is essential for the development of TCRgammadelta(+) IELs, were also observed in OVA-TCR-Tg mice fed the NT(+) diet, as we previously demonstrated using BALB/c mice (Nagafuchi et al., Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 64: 1459-65 (2000)). Considering that TCRgammadelta(+) T cells and TGF-beta are important for an induction of the mucosal IgA response, our results suggest that dietary nucleotides augment the mucosal OVA-specific IgA response by increasing the secretion of TGF-beta from IECs and the proportion of TCRgammadelta(+) IELs.