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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Ileectomy-induced Bile Overaccumulation in Mouse Intestine
Published on: August 21, 2017
Intestinal alkaline phosphatase: selective endocytosis from the enterocyte brush border during fat absorption
Gert H Hansen1, Lise-Lotte Niels-Christiansen, Lissi Immerdal
1Dept. of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The Panum Institute University of Copenhagen, Bldg. 6.4, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. midan@imbg.ku.dk
Abstract:
Absorption of dietary fat in the small intestine is accompanied by a rise of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) in the serum and of secretion of IAP-containing surfactant-like particles from the enterocytes. In the present work, fat absorption was studied in organ cultured mouse intestinal explants. By immunofluorescence microscopy, fat absorption caused a translocation of IAP from the enterocyte brush border to the interior of the cell, whereas other brush-border enzymes were unaffected. By electron microscopy, the translocation occurred by a rapid (5 min) induction of endocytosis via clathrin-coated pits. By 60 min, IAP was seen in subapical endosomes and along membranes surrounding fat droplets. IAP is a well-known lipid raft-associated protein, and fat absorption was accompanied by a marked change in the density and morphology of the detergent-resistant membranes harboring IAP. A lipid analysis revealed that fat absorption caused a marked increase in the microvillar membrane contents of free fatty acids. In conclusion, fat absorption rapidly induces a transient clathrin-dependent endocytosis via coated pits from the enterocyte brush border. The process selectively internalizes IAP and may contribute to the appearance of the enzyme in serum and surfactant-like particles.
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