title: Methionine restriction fundamentally supports health by tightening epithelial barriers.
abstract: Dietary methionine restriction (MR) has been found to affect one of the most primary tissue-level functions of an organism: the efficiency with which the epithelial linings of major organs separate the fluid compartments that they border. This process, epithelial barrier function, is basic for proper function of all organs, including the lung, liver, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive tract, blood-brain barrier, and kidney. Specifically, MR has been found to modify the protein composition of tight junctional complexes surrounding individual epithelial cells in a manner that renders the complexes less leaky. This has been observed in both a renal epithelial cell culture model and in gastrointestinal tissue. In both cases, MR increased the transepithelial electrical resistance across the epithelium, while decreasing passive leak of small nonelectrolytes. However, the specific target protein modifications involved were unique to each case. Overall, this provides an example of the primary level on which MR functions to modify, and improve, an organism.
authors.affiliation: Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.|Division of Gastroenterology, Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mullin
authors.affiliation: Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Sonja M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Skrovanek
authors.affiliation: Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Arivudainambi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramalingam
authors.affiliation: Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: DiGuilio
authors.affiliation: Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Valenzano
mesh_terms: D000603:Amino Acids, Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology*; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008715:Methionine / Q000378:metabolism*; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000378:metabolism; D062793:Occludin / Q000378:metabolism; D010539:Permeability; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000603:Amino Acids, Sulfur; D018977:Micronutrients; D062793:Occludin; D008715:Methionine
keywords: barrier function; claudin; methionine; occludin; tight junction; transepithelial