Comparing Two Intestinal Porcine Epithelial Cell Lines (IPECs): Morphological Differentiation, Function and Metabolism

Abstract

The pig shows genetical and physiological resemblance to human, which predestines it as an experimental animal model especially for mucosal physiology. Therefore, the intestinal epithelial cell lines 1 and J2 (IPEC-1, IPEC-J2) - spontaneously immortalised cell lines from the porcine intestine - are important tools for studying intestinal function. A microarray (GeneChip Porcine Genome Array) was performed to compare the genome wide gene expression of IPECs. Different significantly up-regulated pathways were identified, like “lysosome”, “pathways in cancer”, “regulation of actin cytoskeleton” and “oxidative phosphorylation” in IPEC-J2 in comparison to IPEC-1. On the other hand, “spliceosome”, “ribosome”, “RNA-degradation” and “tight junction” are significantly down-regulated pathways in IPEC-J2 in comparison to IPEC-1. Examined pathways were followed up by functional analyses. ATP-, oxygen, glucose and lactate-measurement provide evidence for up-regulation of oxidative phosphorylation in IPEC-J2. These cells seem to be more active in their metabolism than IPEC-1 cells due to a significant higher ATP-content as well as a higher O2- and glucose-consumption. The down-regulated pathway “ribosome” was followed up by measurement of RNA- and protein content. In summary, IPEC-J2 is a morphologically and functionally more differentiated cell line in comparison to IPEC-1. In addition, IPEC-J2 cells are a preferential tool for in vitro studies with the focus on metabolism.

Effect of Fusarium-Derived Metabolites on the Barrier Integrity of Differentiated Intestinal Porcine Epithelial Cells (IPEC-J2)

“…Similarities with the original in vivo cell tissue and with humans and the fact that pigs are the most susceptible species to Fusarium mycotoxin DON, make porcine cell lines a highly suitable option for in vitro analysis of intestinal barrier integrity [102]. IPEC-J2 [103], possess strong morphological and functional resemblance of intestinal epithelial cells in vivo and have recently been reported morphologically and functionally even more differentiated than its related cell line IPEC-1 [104]. …”

Phosphoproteome Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Deoxynivalenol-Induced Intestinal Toxicity in IPEC-J2 Cells

“…On one hand, this difference may be associated with different types of cells. Nossol et al showed that IPEC-J2 is a morphologically and functionally more differentiated cell line in comparison to IPEC-1 [24]. It is worth noting that “tight junction” pathways are significantly different in the two cell lines.…”

“…We employed iTRAQ combined with liquid chromatography (LC-MS)/MS to identify and quantitate phosphorproteomic changes in the intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) exposed to DON (20 μM) for 60 min based on the pharmacokinetic distribution of DON in small intestine [21,22]. IPEC-J2 cells originate from jejunum and retain most of their original epithelial nature [23,24]. They have been used extensively to investigate the molecular mechanisms of DON action [8,13].…”

Large Animal Models: The Key to Translational Discovery in Digestive Disease Research

“…IPEC-J2 cells form a fully differentiated columnar epithelial monolayer with an established brush border, tight junction structure, inducible chloride secretion, and a functional barrier as measured by transepithelial electrical resistance and macromolecular fluxes. 69,70 These qualities make this cell line a powerful tool for the study of intestinal biology and disease in the pig that, in turn, means they likely have important translational applications given the similarities between human and porcine intestinal cell populations. 27 This cell line has since been used successfully to study key elements of intestinal cell biology, particularly for immunologic and microbiological studies.…”