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A Role for Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase in the Maintenance of Local Gut Immunity

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Abstract

Background and Aims

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) is a gut mucosal defense factor known to dephosphorylate lipopolysaccharide (LPS); however, the role of IAP in the gut response to luminal bacteria remains poorly defined. We investigated immune responses of wild-type (WT) and IAP-knockout (IAP-KO) mice to LPS and Salmonella typhimurium challenges.

Methods

Cryostat sectioning and standard indirect immunohistochemical staining for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules were performed on liver tissue from WT and IAP-KO mice. WT and IAP-KO mice were orally gavaged with S. typhimurium; bacterial translocation to mesenteric nodes, liver, and spleen was determined by tissue homogenization and plating. In other experiments, WT and IAP-KO mice received intraperitoneal injections of LPS, with subsequent quantification of complete blood counts and serum interleukin (IL)-6 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). WT and IAP-KO whole blood were plated and stimulated with LPS and Pam-3-Cys, followed by cytokine assays.

Results

Immunohistologic liver examinations showed increased expression of MHC class II molecules in IAP-KO mice. Following S. typhimurium challenge, WT mice appeared moribund compared with IAP-KO mice, with increased bacterial translocation. WT mice had >50% decrease (P < .005) in platelets and 1.8-fold (P < .05) increased serum IL-6 compared with IAP-KO mice in response to LPS injections. IAP-KO whole-blood stimulation with LPS and Pam-3-Cys resulted in increased IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha secretion compared with WT.

Conclusions

IAP-KO mice exhibit characteristics consistent with local LPS tolerance. Whole-blood response of IAP-KO mice did not reflect systemic tolerance. These data suggest that IAP is a local immunomodulating factor, perhaps regulating LPS–toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) interaction between commensal microflora and intestinal epithelium.

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Acknowledgments

Grant support: (1) National Institutes of Health Grant R01DK050623; (2) National Institutes of Health Grant R01DK047186; (3) National Institutes of Health Grant T32DK007754.

Conflicts of interest

No conflicts of interest are reported

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Kathryn T. Chen, Madhu S. Malo, Golam Mostafa, Sayeda N. Alam, Sundaram Ramasamy & Richard A. Hodin

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, Mayo Mail Code 195, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Kathryn T. Chen

  3. Department of Pharmacokinetics, Toxicology and Targeting, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Klaas Poelstra

  4. Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA

    Jose Luis Millan

  5. Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Laura Kline Beasley-Topliffe, H. Shaw Warren & Elizabeth L. Hohmann

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  1. Kathryn T. Chen
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Correspondence to Richard A. Hodin.

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Chen, K.T., Malo, M.S., Beasley-Topliffe, L.K. et al. A Role for Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase in the Maintenance of Local Gut Immunity. Dig Dis Sci 56, 1020–1027 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-010-1396-x

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