Inflammation Controls Sensitivity of Human and Mouse Intestinal Epithelial Cells to Galectin-1

J Cell Physiol. 2016 Jul;231(7):1575-85. doi: 10.1002/jcp.25249. Epub 2015 Dec 28.

Abstract

Galectins play key roles in the inflammatory cascade. In this study, we aimed to analyze the effect of galectin-1 (Gal-1) in the function of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) isolated from healthy and inflamed mucosa. IECs isolated from mice or patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) were incubated with different pro-inflammatory cytokines, and Gal-1 binding, secretion of homeostatic factors and viability were assessed. Experimental models of food allergy and colitis were used to evaluate the in vivo influence of inflammation on Gal-1 binding and modulation of IECs. We found an enhanced binding of Gal-1 to: (a) murine IECs exposed to IL-1β, TNF, and IL-13; (b) IECs from inflamed areas in intestinal tissue from IBD patients; (c) small bowel of allergic mice; and (d) colon from mice with experimental colitis. Our results showed that low concentrations of Gal-1 favored a tolerogenic micro-environment, whereas high concentrations of this lectin modulated viability of IECs through mechanisms involving activation of caspase-9 and modulation of Bcl-2 protein family members. Our results showed that, when added in the presence of diverse pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL-13 and IL-5, Gal-1 differentially promoted the secretion of growth factors including thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), epidermal growth factor (EGF), IL-10, IL-25, and transforming growth factor (TGF-β1 ). In conclusion, we found an augmented binding of Gal-1 to IECs when exposed in vitro or in vivo to inflammatory stimuli, showing different effects depending on Gal-1 concentration. These findings highlight the importance of the inflammatory micro-environment of mucosal tissues in modulating IECs susceptibility to the immunoregulatory lectin Gal-1 and its role in epithelial cell homeostasis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cellular Microenvironment / genetics
  • Colitis / genetics
  • Colitis / metabolism*
  • Colitis / pathology
  • Colon / metabolism
  • Colon / pathology
  • Food Hypersensitivity / genetics
  • Food Hypersensitivity / metabolism
  • Galectin 1 / genetics
  • Galectin 1 / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / genetics
  • Inflammation / metabolism*
  • Inflammation / pathology
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / genetics
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / metabolism*
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / pathology
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism*
  • Intestinal Mucosa / pathology
  • Mice

Substances

  • Galectin 1