Expression of intestinal trefoil factor in developing rat intestine

Intestinal trefoil factor (ITF or TFF3), a small peptide secreted at the mucosal surface by goblet cells throughout the mature intestine, appears to play important roles in the maintenance and repair of the intestinal mucosal barrier. To study the expression of TFF3 during development, intestinal tissues were collected from rats at different development stages and examined by Northern blot analysis, Western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining for TFF3 mRNA and protein expression. The results demonstrate that rat TFF3 mRNA is not detected until the 17th gestational day (term = 22 days), the expression is greater on gestational day 20 and increased further postnatally. TFF3 protein is first detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining on gestational day 20. Further increases in TFF3 protein expression are demonstrated at around the weaning period. In conclusion, significant expression of rat TFF3 commences late in gestation and its expression is relatively deficient in immature rats. Expression of TFF3 may be deficient in premature infants and, therefore, may have a role in the development of necrotizing enterocolitis.