Ileal antimicrobial peptide expression is dysregulated in old age

In an effort to understand the mechanisms underlying the high prevalence of gastrointestinal tract disorders in old age, we investigated the expression of intestinal antimicrobial peptides in the terminal small intestine of aged mice. Our results show that old mice have reduced transcript levels of...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Immunity & ageing 2017-08, Vol.14 (1), p.19-19, Article 19
Main Authors:	Tremblay, Sarah, Côté, Nathalie Marie Louise, Grenier, Guillaume, Duclos-Lasnier, Gabriella, Fortier, Louis-Charles, Ilangumaran, Subburaj, Menendez, Alfredo
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Age Aged Aging Angiogenin Animals Antimicrobial agents Antimicrobial peptides Defensins Epithelium Gastrointestinal diseases Gastrointestinal tract Gene expression Geriatrics Goblet cells Health aspects Homeostasis Ileum Immunology Infections Inflammation Intestinal antimicrobial peptides Lectins Letter to the Editor Lysozyme Microbiota Older people Paneth cells Physiological aspects Small intestine Software Transcription
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	In an effort to understand the mechanisms underlying the high prevalence of gastrointestinal tract disorders in old age, we investigated the expression of intestinal antimicrobial peptides in the terminal small intestine of aged mice. Our results show that old mice have reduced transcript levels of ileal α-defensins and lysozyme, two important types of intestinal antimicrobial peptides produced by Paneth cells. In contrast, expression of the C-type lectins Reg3b and Reg3g, as well as β-defensin 1, angiogenin 4 and Relmb, which are made by several epithelial cell types, was significantly upregulated in aged animals suggesting an ongoing response to epithelial distress. Those changes in antimicrobial peptide gene expression associated with histological damage of the ileal epithelium and subtle modifications in the composition of the commensal microbiota. Our findings suggest that dysregulation of antimicrobial peptides expression is a feature of homeostasis disruption in the aged intestine and may contribute to geriatric gastrointestinal dysfunction.
ISSN:	1742-4933 1742-4933