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Hormone induced expression of brush border lactase in suckling rat intestine

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Abstract

The postnatal development of intestine is associated with a decline in brush border lactase activity in rodents. This is similar to adulthood hypolactasia, a phenomenon prevalent in humans worldwide. In the present study, the effect of luminal proteases from adult rat intestine was studied in vitro on intestinal lactase activity in saline control, thyroxine, insulin and cortisone treated rat pups. Lactase levels were determined by enzyme analysis and Western blotting. mRNA levels encoding lactase were determined by Northern blotting. Administration of thyroxine for 4 days reduced (P < 0.05) lactase activity, but insulin treatment had no effect in 8-day-old rat intestine. However, cortisone administration augmented (P < 0.01) lactase activity, under these conditions. Western blot analysis showed decreased lactase signal corresponding to 220-kDa protein band in thyroxine treated animals. However, the intensity of lactase signal was high in cortisone treated animals compared to controls. mRNA levels encoding lactase showed a 6.8-kb mRNA transcript in saline and hormone treated rats. mRNA levels encoding lactase were increased in cortisone treated animals but were reduced in thyroxine injected pups compared to controls. Microvillus membranes from saline (P < 0.01) and thyroxine (P < 0.05) or insulin (P < 0.01) treated rats upon incubation with luminal wash from adult rat intestine showed a significant decline in lactase activity. These findings suggest that thyroxine, insulin or cortisone induced changes in lactase expression in suckling rat intestine make it susceptible to luminal proteases, which may in part be responsible for observed maturational decline in lactase activity in adult rat intestine.

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Acknowledgement

Senior Research Fellowship, from Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, supported Ms. Kamaljit Kaur Chaudhry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

    Kamaljit Kaur Chaudhry & Akhtar Mahmood

  2. Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160 012, India

    Safrun Mahmood

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  1. Kamaljit Kaur Chaudhry
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Correspondence to Akhtar Mahmood.

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Chaudhry, K.K., Mahmood, S. & Mahmood, A. Hormone induced expression of brush border lactase in suckling rat intestine. Mol Cell Biochem 312, 11–16 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-008-9715-7

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