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(Journal of Nutrition. 1999;129:613-619.)
© 1999 The American Society for Nutritional Sciences


Article

Weaning Anorexia May Contribute to Local Inflammation in the Piglet Small Intestine1

Barbara A. McCracken*, Michael E. Spurlock{dagger}, Mark A. Roos{dagger}, Federico A. Zuckermann** and H. Rex Gaskins***{ddagger}2

{ddagger} Division of Nutritional Sciences, * Department of Animal Sciences and ** Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801 and {dagger} Purina Mills, Inc., Gray Summit, MO 63039


    ABSTRACT
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Compromising alterations in villus-crypt structure are common in pigs postweaning. Possible contributions of local inflammatory reactions to villus-crypt alterations during the weaning transition have not been described. This study evaluated local inflammatory responses and their relationship with morphological changes in the intestine in 21-d-old pigs (n = 112) killed either at weaning (Day 0) or 0.5, 1, 2, 4 or 7 d after weaning to either milk- or soy-based pelleted diets. Cumulative intake averaged <100 g during the first 2 d postweaning, regardless of diet. During this period of weaning anorexia, inflammatory T-cell numbers and local expression of the matrix metalloproteinase stromelysin increased while jejunal villus height, crypt depth and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I RNA expression decreased. Upon resumption of feed intake by the fourth d postweaning, villus height and crypt depth, CD8+ T cell numbers, MHC class I RNA expression and local expression of stromelysin returned to Day 0 values. Together the results indicate that inadequate feed intake during the immediate postweaning period may contribute to intestinal inflammation and thereby compromise villus-crypt structure and function.


KEY WORDS: • small intestine • weaning • inflammation • pigs


    INTRODUCTION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
The weaning transition in pigs is commonly accompanied by adverse changes in intestinal morphology, including reduced villus height, increased villus width, increased crypt depth and reduced absorptive capacity and brush border enzyme activity (Hampson 1986a and 1986bCitation Citation , Kelly et al. 1991a and 1991bCitation Citation , Miller et al. 1984aCitation ). The role of specific inflammatory cell populations in villus atrophy in weanling piglets has not been determined. Furthermore, only recently has the impact of feed intake on intestinal morphology been fully appreciated (Kelly et al. 1991a and 1991bCitation Citation , McCracken et al. 1995Citation , Pluske et al. 1996aCitation ).

Weaning-associated intestinal inflammation has been described for numerous species. For example, activation of the mucosal immune system, villus atrophy and crypt hyperplasia has been reported for the weanling rat (Cummins et al. 1988a, 1988b and 1991Citation Citation Citation ). Also, intestinal histopathological lesions at weaning often resemble those observed for gastrointestinal diseases. Immune cells, particularly T lymphocytes, contribute to the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and intractable diarrhea of infancy (Choy et al. 1990Citation , Cuenod et al. 1990Citation , Lionetti et al. 1993Citation , MacDonald 1990Citation ). In addition, activated T cells may contribute to a reduction in villus height in human intestinal explants maintained in vitro and in neoplastic human intestine (MacDonald and Spencer 1988 and 1990Citation Citation ). Activation of T lymphocytes in the lamina propria of intestinal explants was associated with activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP),3 which are normally involved in turnover of the extracellular matrix (ECM; Pender et al. 1997Citation ). Because a full understanding of the cellular mechanisms responsible for weaning-associated changes in intestinal morphology has yet to be developed, and T cells are implicated as important contributors of compromising changes to the intestinal epithelium, perhaps by affecting ECM turnover, this study evaluated the effect of weaning on local T cell numbers and population phenotypes in the piglet intestine.

We demonstrated recently that weaning in pigs is associated with diet-dependent and diet-independent metabolic responses that may contribute to the characteristic postweaning growth stasis (McCracken et al. 1995Citation ). From that study, it became apparent that feed intake was an important consideration in light of the diet-independent metabolic effects observed. Diets used in that study were a liquid milk replacer and a pelleted soy-based starter diet. Therefore, diet form was standardized in this study to facilitate more equal feed consumption. Additional objectives were to evaluate small intestinal inflammatory responses and local morphological alterations by examining T cell numbers, tissue prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentrations and local expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes and the MMP stromelysin. Stromelysin was evaluated because this MMP is responsive to inflammatory stimuli and increased stromelysin activity results in the breakdown of the lamina propria ECM as well as laminin and type IV collagen in the epithelial basement membrane of the intestine (Pender et al. 1997Citation ).


    MATERIALS AND METHODS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Animals and diets.

Crossbred pigs (n = 112, average age = 21 d) from 19 litters were used to evaluate intestinal inflammatory responses to weaning. Pigs were either killed at weaning (n = 12) or weaned to a pelleted milk- or soy-based diet (Table 1Citation )and killed at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, or 7 d postweaning (n = 10 for each d/diet combination). Pigs were housed individually with free access to feed, consumption of which was measured daily. Animals were supplied by Purina Mills (Gray Summit, MO), and published guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed (Consortium for Developing a Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching 1988Citation ).


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Table 1. Experimental diets

 
Tissues.

Immediately after death by electrical stunning and exsanguination, the intestinal tract was removed, freed from mesentery and arranged on a table to allow tissue sampling from the proximal jejunum as described (McCracken et al. 1995Citation ). Briefly, the intestine was arranged on a table into six segments of equal length. The ends and each curve were given a number 1–7 beginning with the proximal duodenum. Samples of proximal jejunum were taken from the site numbered 3. Tissue samples were flushed immediately with sterile water to remove luminal contents and were either frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80°C for later analyses or were fixed in Bouin's solution, embedded in paraffin and sectioned onto glass slides for immunocytochemistry. Approximate time from exsanguination to tissue freezing was 10–15 min.

RNA isolation and Northern blot analysis.

Total RNA was isolated from samples of jejunum as described by Sprenger et al. (1995)Citation . Total RNA concentrations were determined by spectrophotometry and 10 µg was loaded onto formaldehyde-containing agarose gels for electrophoretic separation. RNA was then transferred to nylon membranes (Micron Separations, Westborough, MA) using standard Northern blotting techniques (Sambrook et al. 1989Citation ). Membranes were probed with {alpha}32P-labeled cDNA probes specific for porcine major histocompatibility complex class I and II (kindly provided by L. B. Schook, University of Minnesota). To verify equivalent RNA loading in the agarose gels, blots were probed with an {alpha}32P-labeled cDNA probe specific for 28S rRNA (L. B. Schook, University of Minnesota). Bands were visualized by X-ray autoradiography, and densiometric analysis of autoradiographic images was performed.

Tissue prostaglandin E2 concentrations.

Tissue PGE2 concentrations were measured in a subset of animals (4 animals per day/diet combination) with an enzyme immunoassay kit (Cayman Chemical, Ann Arbor, MI) following the manufacturer's protocol. Approximately 1 g of each tissue sample was weighed and homogenized on ice in 2 mL methanol and centrifuged at 3000 x g for 15 min at 4°C. The supernatant was combined with 8 mL of 0.1 mol potassium phosphate buffer/L (pH 4), mixed, loaded onto 5 mL capacity C-18 reverse phase cartridges, and washed sequentially with 5 mL water and 5 mL hexane. PGE2 was eluted with 1 mL ethyl acetate/1% methanol. The eluant was dried in a SpeedVac (Savant Instruments, Farmingdale, NY) and resuspended in 1 mL buffer (provided in the kit). Enzyme immunoassay plates were read on a Thermomax microplate reader (Molecular Devices, Menlo Park, CA). Concentrations of PGE2 were determined against a standard curve. Total protein concentrations were measured by the BioRad DC protein assay (BioRad Laboratories, Hercules, CA), and PGE2 concentrations are expressed as pg PGE2/mg tissue protein.

Histology, immunocytochemistry, and immunofluorescence.

Villus height and crypt depth were measured on jejunal sections stained for CD8 using a Nikon Diaphote microscope and Image-1 software (Universal Imaging, West Chester, PA). Goblet cells were counted in 10 villi and 10 crypts on four jejunal sections per day/diet combination stained with the PAS/alcian blue pH 2.5 procedure (Carson 1990Citation ).

To analyze CD8+ T cell populations by immunocytochemistry, Bouin's-fixed samples were soaked in four changes of 70% ethanol to remove excess picric acid, then embedded in paraffin and sectioned onto glass slides. A biotinylated mouse anti-pig CD8 antibody (F-O-10, 134 clone 76-211; Saalmüller 1996Citation ) was used for immunocytochemistry. Slides were deparaffinized in xylene then rehydrated through a series of alcohol, water, citric acid and Tris buffer washes (Carson 1990Citation ). Jejunum sections were blocked with 20% mouse serum, then incubated with biotinylated anti-pig CD8 antibody for 2 h at 37°C followed by streptavidin/alkaline phosphatase incubation for 30 min at 37°C. Jejunal CD8+ cells were visualized using Histomark Red (Kirkegaard & Perry Laboratories, Gaithersburg, MD) following the manufacturer's protocol. Jejunal CD8+ cells were counted in five villi and five crypts per section of four animals per day/diet combination using an Olympus BH-2 microscope (Olympus, Lake Success, NY) at 400 x magnification. Numbers are expressed as the number of CD8+ cells per 100 µm villus or crypt.

CD4+ T cell populations were measured by immunofluorescence. Tissues were embedded, sectioned onto glass slides and processed as for CD8 staining. Sections were incubated with a 1:200 dilution of an anti-pig CD4 antibody (clone 74-12-4; Saalmüller 1996Citation ) for 30 min at room temperature in the dark. Slides were counterstained with hematoxylin, dehydrated and mounted with Crystal Mount (Biomedia, Foster City, CA). Jejunal CD4+ cells were counted in stained jejunum sections using an Olympus BH-2 fluorescence microscope (Olympus) at 1000 x magnification under oil immersion. Fluorescent cells were counted in the lamina propria or along the epithelial border of five villi and along five well oriented crypts from four animals per day/diet combination. Numbers are expressed as number of CD4+ cells per 100 µm of villus or crypt.

Western blotting.

For protein isolation, whole frozen jejunal samples (100 mg) were homogenized in sample buffer (10% glycerol, 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 0.625 mol Tris-HCl/L, pH 6.8) containing 0.83% Triton X-100, 0.003 mmol phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride/L, 0.041 g iodoacetic acid/L, 0.17 g EDTA/L and the protease inhibitors aprotinin (5 mg/L), pepstatin A (5 mg/L) and chymostatin (1 mg/L). Protein concentrations were determined using the BioRad DC Protein Assay as described above. Equal amounts of protein were then loaded in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) gels, electrophoresed and blotted to nitrocellulose membranes (Micron Separations). An anti-human stromelysin antibody (The Binding Site, San Diego, CA) was used to identify the inactive (60 and 58 kD) and active (44 and 28 kD) forms of stromelysin.

Statistical analysis.

Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS (SAS 1985Citation ). Litter of origin and replicate were included in the model. Significance of treatment differences were calculated using the LSMEANS statement, and results are presented as least-square means ± SEM. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to evaluate a possible correlation between intake and morphological or histological variables by day. Differences were considered significant at P < 0.05; trends were identified at P < 0.1.


    RESULTS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Intake.

Independent of diet, average cumulative intake was <100 g per pig during the first 2 d postweaning. By the fourth day postweaning, average cumulative intake was 250 g per pig (Fig. 1Citation ).Over time, intake increased (P < 0.05) for pigs fed either diet. A day by diet interaction was not observed. However, examination of least square means indicated that on Day 7, total cumulative intake for pigs fed the soy-based diet was greater (0.73 kg per pig; P < 0.05) than pigs fed the milk-based diet (0.5 kg per pig).



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Figure 1. Cumulative intake of pigs fed either a milk (M)- or soy (S)-based diet for the first week postweaning. For each day/diet combination, n = 10; each symbol represents one animal. Cumulative intake was <100 g per pig through Day 2; symbols are accordingly suppressed during that period. By Day 4, mean cumulative intake was 250 g per pig. Cumulative intake was higher (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the soy-based diet compared to pigs fed the milk-based diet by 7 d postweaning.

 
Villus height and crypt depth.

Independent of diet, villus height decreased (P < 0.05) over time postweaning (Fig. 2Citation ).A day by diet interaction was not observed. For pigs fed the milk-based diet, villus heights were 34 and 59% of Day 0 values on Days 2 and 7, respectively. Similarly, for pigs fed the soy-based diet villus heights were 37 and 66% of Day 0 values on Days 2 and 7, respectively. Crypt depth was reduced to 38% (P < 0.05) independent of diet on Day 2 compared to Day 0, but was similar to Day 0 by 7 d postweaning. Pearson correlation analysis indicated a trend for a positive correlation between intake and villus height (r = 0.42, P = 0.06) and crypt depth (r = 0.31, P = 0.09) on Day 7.



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Figure 2. Villus height and crypt depth in jejunum of pigs fed either a milk (M)- or soy (S)-based diet postweaning. Values are least-square means ± SEM, n = 4. *indicates values differ significantly (P < 0.05) from Day 0 values.

 
Goblet cells.

Overall, the number of goblet cells per 100 µm of villus was not different (P > 0.05) over time postweaning or across diet treatment (data not shown). Furthermore, significant interactions between diet and time postweaning were not observed for goblet cell numbers. However, evaluation of least square means indicated that the number of goblet cells tended to increase per 100 µm of crypt from Day 0 (39 cells /100 µm of crypt) to Day 7 for pigs fed both the milk- (146; P = 0.067) and soy-based diet (138; P = 0.074).

T lymphocytes.

CD8+ T cell numbers per 100 µm of villus tended to increase through the second day postweaning (P < 0.10) regardless of diet offered (Fig. 3Citation ).A diet by day interaction was not observed; however, examination of least square means indicated that pigs fed the soy-based diet had more (P < 0.05) CD8+ T cells on Day 2 compared to Day 0. The number of CD8+ T cells per 100 µm of crypt was higher (P < 0.05) on Day 2 independent of diet, and a day by diet interaction was not observed.



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Figure 3. Number of jejunal CD8+ cells per 100 µm villus (A) or crypt (B) in pigs fed either a milk (M)- or soy (S)-based diet postweaning. Values are least-square means ± SEM, n = 4. *indicates values differ significantly (P < 0.05) from Day 0 values.

 
CD4+ T cell numbers per 100 µm of villus increased (P < 0.05) postweaning independent of diet (Fig. 4Citation ).A significant day by diet interaction was observed, however, for crypt area lamina propria CD4+ cell numbers. Evaluation of least square means revealed on Day 7 a greater number of CD4+ cells in the crypt lamina propria of pigs fed the soy-based diet compared to pigs fed the milk-based diet.



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Figure 4. Number of jejunal CD4+ cells per 100 µm of villus (A), or crypt (B) in pigs fed a milk (M)- or soy (S)-based weaning diet. Values are least-square means ± SEM, n = 4. *indicates values differ significantly (P < 0.05) from Day 0 values. Different letters indicate significant difference between M and S.

 
PGE2.

Due to individual animal variation, PGE2 concentrations did not differ across time or between diet groups (data not shown). Jejunal PGE2 concentrations tended to be higher (P < 0.1) early in the postweaning period (Day 1) compared to Days 2 and 7. Jejunal PGE2 concentrations ranged from 5 pg/mg tissue protein for pigs killed on Day 0 to 33 pg/mg protein for pigs fed the soy-based diet and killed on Day 1.

MHC class I and II expression.

Northern blot analysis demonstrated that jejunal MHC class I RNA expression was lower (P < 0.05) on Day 1 postweaning compared to the constitutive levels of expression on Days 0, 4 and 7. Densiometric analysis (MHC class I image/28s rRNA image; Fig. 5ACitation )revealed an average of 0.2 and 0.1 arbitrary units for pigs fed the milk- or soy-based diets, respectively, compared to an average of 1.23 arbitrary units on Day 0. Average densitometric values for pigs fed the milk- or soy-based diets on Day 4 were 0.97, 1.03, respectively, and on Day 7 were 0.60 and 0.85 arbitrary units, respectively.



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Figure 5. Densiometric analysis of Northern blot data of MHC class I (A) and MHC class II (B) mRNA expression in jejunal samples from pigs fed either a milk (M)- or soy (S)-based diet. Values are least-square means ± SEM, n = 2–4. *indicates values differ significantly (P < 0.05) from Day 0 values.

 
Jejunal MHC class II RNA expression tended to follow a similar pattern as MHC class I, although statistical significance was not reached. Densiometric analysis (Fig. 5Citation B) resulted in means of 0.13 arbitrary units for pigs fed either the milk- or soy-based diet on Day 1 compared to 0.35 arbitrary units on Day 0, and 0.2 and 0.2 on Day 4, and 0.1 and 0.05 arbitrary units on Day 7 for pigs fed the milk- and soy-based diets, respectively.

Stromelysin expression.

Western blot analysis of jejunal samples from pigs fed either the milk- or soy-based diets demonstrates enhanced expression of the 58 and 60 kDa stromelysin isoforms (Fig. 6ACitation and B).These isoforms are two of the inactive isoforms of stromelysin (Woessner 1991Citation ). A weak band at 44 kDa and a band at 28 kDa representing the active forms of stromelysin (Woessner 1991Citation ) were also observed. The active form (28 kDa) appears to be upregulated in both groups postweaning (Fig. 6Citation A and B). Expression of the 58, 60 and 28 kDa isoforms was enhanced for pigs fed the soy-based diet on Day 1–4 postweaning compared to pigs fed the milk-based diet (Fig. 6Citation C).



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Figure 6. Western blot analysis of stromelysin expression in jejunal protein samples from pigs weaned to either a milk (M)- (A) or soy (S)-based diet (B). Inactive isoforms of stromelysin are visible at 58 and 60 kDa. The active isoform of stromelysin is also visible at 44 kDa. The lane marked + contains protein from a fibroblast cell line. (C) Western blot analysis of stromelysin in jejunum protein samples from pigs weaned to either a milk (M)- or soy (S)-based diet. Inactive isoforms of stromelysin are visible at 58 and 60 kDa. The active isoform of stromelysin is also visible at 44 kDa. Intestinal stromelysin expression was enhanced in pigs fed the soy-based diet compared to pigs fed the milk-based diet from 1 to 4 d postweaning. The bottom arrow marks a band of ~25 kDa recognized by the anti-stromelysin reagent whose expression peaks at Day 4 postweaning, independent of diet.

 

    DISCUSSION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
The present data demonstrate relationships among weaning anorexia, local inflammatory responses, and compromising changes of the piglet small intestinal epithelium. Possible causes of weaning-associated morphological changes in the pig intestine have centered around two major hypotheses. The first hypothesis is that an immune response to a dietary antigen, perhaps derived from soy protein, leads to local inflammation, which results in villus atrophy (Bailey et al. 1993Citation , Li et al. 1991Citation , Miller et al. 1984aCitation , Miller et al. 1994Citation ). Studies to evaluate that possibility have demonstrated that pigs weaned at 3 wks of age to a diet containing soy protein display transient increases in serum anti-soy IgG antibodies followed by systemic tolerance (Bailey et al. 1993Citation , Miller et al. 1984aCitation ). However, mechanistic links between serum anti-soy antibodies and compromised intestinal structure or function have not been considered either theoretically or empirically in the literature. Serum anti-soy antibodies were not measured in this study; however, increased crypt CD4+ T cell numbers by Day 7 in pigs weaned to the soy-based diet, but not the milk-based diet, indicate that dietary soy antigens may cause local inflammatory responses and subsequent immune responses in weanling pigs. In light of the temporal response pattern observed, however, it must be concluded that soy-induced inflammation, if present, is likely secondary to compromised intestinal morphology due to local inflammation caused by anorexia during the immediate postweaning period.

A second hypothesis is that lack of luminal stimulation from reduced intake during the first few days postweaning is responsible for early alterations in intestinal morphology (Cera et al. 1988Citation , Kelly et al. 1991a and 1991bCitation Citation , McCracken et al. 1995Citation , Pluske et al. 1996aCitation and 1996a). A compromised mucosal barrier caused by acute fasting may allow passage of luminal antigens into the lamina propria where an inflammatory response can be initiated. Clear evidence that absence of food in the intestine leads to adverse morphological changes and even atrophy of the mucosa (Hughes and Dowling 1980Citation , McManus and Isselbacher 1970Citation , Steiner et al. 1968Citation ) indicates the importance of considering the effects of feed intake on intestinal structure and function in weanling pigs. Our data demonstrate that inflammatory responses and villus atrophy correlate with depressed feed consumption and that intestinal inflammation subsides and epithelial morphology improves when normal feed intake patterns resume. This observation supports the conclusion from our earlier study that pigs offered a pelleted soy-based diet compared to pigs fed a milk-based liquid diet exhibited compromised jejunal morphology due to a difference in feed intake and not due to differences in diet composition (McCracken et al. 1995Citation ).

This study also demonstrates for the first time that upregulation of MMP by activated immune cells in the lamina propria may contribute to villus atrophy at weaning. We suggest that aberrant upregulation of stromelysin and other MMP in response to weaning anorexia may increase ECM breakdown, resulting in compromising changes to the intestinal epithelium, including a reduction of villus height. Similarly, inflamed intestinal tissue from patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases displayed enhanced stromelysin expression (Bailey et al. 1994Citation ). Collagenase, stromelysin and matrilysin were also up-regulated in the colon of ulcerative colitis patients (Saarialho-Kere et al. 1996Citation ). Because intestinal epithelial cells express receptors for basement membrane components that are responsible for cellular attachment to the basal lamina (Alho and Underhill 1989Citation ) and for migration of epithelial cells to villi tips (Beaulieu 1992Citation ), breakdown of the basal lamina may weaken epithelial attachments and reduce cell migration rates, resulting in a compromised epithelial layer. Further studies to characterize interactions between intestinal T cells and ECM in weanling pigs are needed to fully define the etiology of the observed structural changes. In addition, intestinal expression of tissue inhibitors of MMP should be evaluated during weaning anorexia, as these molecules act in concert with MMP to regulate ECM turnover; a decrease in their expression may be reflected by the enhanced stromelysin protein expression demonstrated herein.

Generally, MHC class I expression is upregulated during inflammatory responses (Abbas et al. 1991Citation ), yet we observed a decrease in MHC class I expression immediately postweaning, possibly caused by weaning-associated stress. Increased plasma cortisol concentrations, which inhibit activity of the AP-1 family of transcription factors (Ponta et al. 1992Citation ), have been observed postweaning in pigs (Worsae and Schmidt 1980Citation ). MHC class I genes are among those induced by the AP-1 family (Yamit-Henzi et al. 1994Citation ). Therefore, stress-associated changes in plasma cortisol levels may have indirectly influenced MHC class I RNA expression by inhibiting AP-1-mediated activation of MHC class I gene expression. Impaired immune responsiveness through reduction of intestinal MHC class I expression may predispose pigs to enteric infections, particularly viral infections, as MHC class I surface expression is required for presentation of viral peptides to inflammatory T cells (Abbas et al. 1991Citation ). Indeed, newly-weaned pigs are particularly susceptible to enteric infections resulting in diarrhea and decreased growth (Blecha et al. 1983Citation , Cera et al. 1988Citation , Kenworthy 1976Citation , Miller et al. 1984b and 1994Citation Citation , Van Beers-Schreurs et al. 1992Citation ).


    FOOTNOTES
 
2 To whom correspondence should be addressed. Back

1 The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. Back

3 Abbreviations used: ECM, extracellular matrix; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; PAGE, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; PGE2, prostaglandin E2; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate. Back

Manuscript received May 28, 1998. Initial review completed July 2, 1998. Revision accepted November 19, 1998.


    REFERENCES
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 

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