Vitamin A metabolism and mucosal immune function are distinct between BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice |
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| Authors: | Gera Goverse Brenda J. Olivier Rosalie Molenaar Marlene Knippenberg Mascha Greuter Tanja Konijn Emma C. L. Cook Marieke R. Beijer Dawn M. Fedor Joke M. M. den Haan Joseph L. Napoli Gerd Bouma Reina E. Mebius |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, VU medical center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;2. Department of Gastroenterology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;3. Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | The vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid (RA) has been reported to suppress Th1 responses and enhance Th2 responses. Here, we investigated whether differences in vitamin A metabolism could underlie the differences between C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, which are reportedly seen as Th1 and Th2 responders, respectively. BALB/c mice were shown to have higher intestinal epithelial expression of RALDH1 (where RALDH is retinaldehyde dehydrogenase), and, consequently, higher RALDH activity in MLN‐DCs, leading to an increased ability to induce IgA class switching in B cells. Furthermore, within BALB/c mice, induction of IgA secretion as well as increased accumulation of regulatory T cells (Treg) in the intestinal lamina propria was observed. Additionally, as BALB/c mice are more resistant to dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) induced colitis, mice that lacked vitamin A in their diet had a more severe form of DSS‐induced colitis compared to control mice. Therefore, the level of RA production and consequently the degree of RA‐mediated signaling is crucial for the efficiency of the mucosal immune system. |
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| Keywords: | BALB/c C57BL/6 FoxP3 IgA Intestine Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase Vitamin A |
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