title: Normal and glucocorticoid-induced development of the human small intestinal xenograft.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine whether intestinal xenografts could recapitulate human in utero development by using disaccharidases as markers. Twenty-week-old fetal intestine was transplanted into immunocompromised mice and was followed. At 20-wk of gestation, the fetal human intestine was morphologically developed with high sucrase and trehalase but had low lactase activities. By 9-wk posttransplantation, jejunal xenografts were morphologically and functionally developed and were then monitored for </=6 mo. Both sucrase and trehalase activities remained unchanged, but lactase activity increased in a manner similar to that described in in utero development. Changes in sucrase and lactase activities were paralleled by protein levels. Cortisone acetate treatment at 20-wk posttransplantation accelerated the ontogeny of lactase but did not alter sucrase and trehalase activities. Biopsies from 1- and 2-yr-old infant intestine showed that all activities, except trehalase in the proximal intestine, corresponded to the levels found in jejunal xenografts at 24 wk posttransplantation. These studies suggest that 20-wk-old fetal intestine has the extrauterine developmental potential to follow normal intrauterine ontogeny as a xenograft.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Gastroenterology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital-East, 114 16th St.: Rm. 3650, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. nanthaku@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: N Nanda
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Nanthakumar
authors.forename: Corrie E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Klopcic
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: W Allan
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D003348:Cortisone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007583:Jejunum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000637:transplantation*; D043322:Lactase; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016513:Mice, SCID; D013393:Sucrase / Q000378:metabolism; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014198:Trehalase / Q000378:metabolism; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D043322:Lactase; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D014198:Trehalase; D013393:Sucrase; D003348:Cortisone