title: Keratinocyte growth factor down-regulates expression of the sucrase-isomaltase gene in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells.
abstract: The molecular mechanisms that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal mucosal epithelial cells are not well understood. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is an epithelial cell-specific growth factor that may be involved in the maintenance of mucosal epithelial populations and in mediating epithelial repair after injury. The sucrase-isomaltase (SI) gene, which encodes an enterocyte brush border disaccharidase, has served as a model for study of intestinal-specific gene expression and differentiation. KGF down-regulated SI mRNA and protein expression in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells but not the expression of other brush border enzymes. The down-regulation was dose- and time-dependent and specifically blocked by anti-KGF antibodies. Transfection experiments using SI promoter constructs demonstrated that KGF decreased SI gene transcription. In contrast, the stability of SI mRNA was not affected by incubation of Caco-2 cells with KGF. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis demonstrated that binding of nuclear proteins to the SI footprint (SIF) 3 and SIF4 regulatory elements within the SI promoter region was increased in Caco-2 cells that had been incubated with KGF. In transfection experiments using a construct in which tandem copies of the SIF4-binding site were inserted upstream of the SV40 promoter and luciferase gene, incubation with KGF resulted in a significant decrease in luciferase activity. However, transfection with a similar construct containing tandem copies of SIF3 had no significant effect on SV40 promoter activity following KGF treatment. SIF4 may bind E4BP4, a previously identified transcriptional repressor protein. This factor may in part mediate the decrease in SI transcription by KGF in Caco-2 cells.
authors.affiliation: Derald H. Ruttenberg Cancer Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Finch
mesh_terms: D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D051526:Fibroblast Growth Factor 10; D051523:Fibroblast Growth Factor 7; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics; D013394:Sucrase-Isomaltase Complex / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C496453:FGF7 protein, human; D051526:Fibroblast Growth Factor 10; D006133:Growth Substances; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor; D051523:Fibroblast Growth Factor 7; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2; C065104:keratinocyte growth factor receptor; D013394:Sucrase-Isomaltase Complex