Host-microbial interactions play a key role during the development of colitis. We have previously shown that chinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) is an inducible molecule overexpressed in colonic epithelial cells (CECs) under inflammatory conditions. In this study, we found that chitin-binding motif (CBM) of CHI3L1 is specifically associated with the CHI3L1-mediated activation of the Akt-signaling in CEC by transfecting the CBM-mutant CHI3L1 vectors in SW480 CECs. Downstream, CHI3L1 enhanced the secretion of IL-8 and TNFα in a dose-dependent manner. We previously show that 325 through 339 amino-acids in CBM are crucial for the biological function of CHI3L1. Here we demonstrated that 325th–339th residues of CBM in CHI3L1 is a critical region for the activation of Akt, IL-8 production, and for a specific cellular localization of CHI3L1. In conclusion, CBM region of CHI3L1 is critical in activating Akt signaling in CECs, and the activation may be associated with the development of chronic colitis.

The family of mammalian chitinases includes members both with and without glycohydrolase enzymatic activity against chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine. Chitin is the structural component of fungi, crustaceans, insects and parasitic nematodes, but is completely absent in mammals. Exposure to antigens containing chitin-or chitin-like structures sometimes induces strong T helper type-I responses in mammals, which may be associated with the induction of mammalian chitinases. Chitinase 3-like-1 (CHI3L1), a member of the mammalian chitinase family, is induced specifically during the course of inflammation in such disorders as inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis and asthma. In addition, CHI3L1 is expressed and secreted by several types of solid tumors including glioblastoma, colon cancer, breast cancer and malignant melanoma. Although the exact function of CHI3L1 in inflammation and cancer is still largely unknown, CHI3L1 plays a pivotal role in exacerbating the inflammatory processes and in promoting angiogenesis and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. CHI3L1 may be highly involved in the chronic engagement of inflammation which potentiates development of epithelial tumorigenesis presumably by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase and the protein kinase B signaling pathways. Anti-CHI3L1 antibodies or pan-chitinase inhibitors may have the potential to suppress CHI3L1-mediated chronic inflammation and the subsequent carcinogenic change in epithelial cells.

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