Abrogation of IFN-γ mediated epithelial barrier disruption by serine protease inhibition

Abstract

The intestinal barrier function is often impaired in a variety of diseases including chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Increased intestinal permeability during episodes of active disease correlates with destruction or rearrangement of the tight junction protein complex. IFN-γ has been widely studied for its effect on barrier function and tight junction structures but its mode of action remains unclear. Since the claudin family of tight junction proteins is proposed to be involved in barrier maintenance we studied the effect of IFN-γ on claudin expression in relation to epithelial barrier function. Cycloheximide and protease inhibitors were used to study mechanisms of IFN-γ mediated barrier disruption. Intestinal epithelial cells were exposed to IFN-γ and permeability was evaluated by horse radish peroxidase (HRP) and 4 kD FITC-dextran fluxes. Occludin and claudin-1, -2, -3, and -4 tight junction protein expression was determined by Western blotting. Occludin and claudin-2 protein expression was dramatically reduced after IFN-γ exposure, which correlated with increased permeability for HRP and FITC-dextran. Interestingly, cleavage of claudin-2 was observed after incubation with IFN-γ. Serine protease inhibitor AEBSF completely abrogated IFN-γ mediated barrier disruption which was associated with preservation of claudin-2 expression. Moreover, IFN-γ induced loss of barrier integrity was found to affect claudin-2 and occludin expression through different mechanisms. Since inhibition of serine protease activity abrogates IFN-γ mediated barrier disruption this may be an important target for therapeutic intervention. © 2005 British Society for Immunology.