title: Developmental changes in intercellular junctions and Kv channels in the intestine of piglets during the suckling and post-weaning periods.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The intestinal epithelium is an important barrier that depends on a complex mixture of proteins and these proteins comprise different intercellular junctions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the postnatal and developmental changes in morphology, intercellular junctions and voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels in the intestine of piglets during the suckling and post-weaning periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Samples of the small intestine were obtained from 1-, 7-, 14-, and 21-d-old suckling piglets and piglets on d 1, 3, 5, and 7 after weaning at 14 d of age. The results showed that the percentage of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity, as well as the abundances of E-cadherin, occludin, and Kv1.5 mRNA and claudin-1, claudin-3, and occludin protein in the jejunum were increased from d 1 to d 21 during the suckling period (P < 0.05). Weaning induced decreases in the percentage of PCNA-positive cells, AKP activity and the abundances of E-cadherin, occludin and zonula occludens (ZO)-1 mRNA or protein in the jejunum on d 1, 3 and 5 post-weaning (P < 0.05). There were lower abundances of E-cadherin, occludin and ZO-1 mRNA as well as claudin-1, claudin-3 and ZO-1 protein in the jejunum of weanling piglets than in 21-d-old suckling piglets (P < 0.05). The abundances of E-cadherin, occludin, ZO-1 and integrin mRNA were positively related to the percentage of PCNA-positive cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Weaning at 14 d of age induced damage to the intestinal morphology and barrier. While there was an adaptive restoration on d 7 post-weaning, the measured values did not return to the pre-weaning levels, which reflected the impairment of intercellular junctions and Kv channels.
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China ; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10008 China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China ; Science College of Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045 China.
authors.forename: Liming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China ; Hunan Collaborative Innovation Center for Utilization of Botanical Functional Ingredients, Hunan Collaborative Innovation Center of Animal Production Safety, Changsha, Hunan 410000 China.
authors.forename: Bie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China ; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10008 China.
authors.forename: Guangran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China ; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10008 China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China.
authors.forename: Fengna
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China.
authors.forename: Xiangfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125 China.
authors.forename: Yulong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
keywords: Intercellular junctions; Kv channels; Piglets; Small intestine; Weaning
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