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Updated: Dec 17, 2025
An Intravital Microscopy-Based Approach to Assess Intestinal Permeability and Epithelial Cell Shedding Performance
Published on: December 3, 2020
Decreased Colonic Activin Receptor-Like Kinase 1 Disrupts Epithelial Barrier Integrity in Patients With Crohn's
Takahiko Toyonaga1, Erin C Steinbach2, Benjamin P Keith3
1Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Background & Aims:
Intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) barrier dysfunction is critical to the development of Crohn's disease (CD). However, the mechanism is understudied. We recently reported increased microRNA-31-5p (miR-31-5p) expression in colonic IECs of CD patients, but downstream targets and functional consequences are unknown.
Methods:
microRNA-31-5p target genes were identified by integrative analysis of RNA- and small RNA-sequencing data from colonic mucosa and confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in colonic IECs. Functional characterization of activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ACVRL1 or ALK1) in IECs was performed ex vivo using 2-dimensional cultured human primary colonic IECs. The impact of altered colonic ALK1 signaling in CD for the risk of surgery and endoscopic relapse was evaluated by a multivariate regression analysis and a Kaplan-Meier estimator.
Results:
ALK1 was identified as a target of miR-31-5p in colonic IECs of CD patients and confirmed using a 3'-untranslated region reporter assay. Activation of ALK1 restricted the proliferation of colonic IECs in a 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine proliferation assay and down-regulated the expression of stemness-related genes. Activated ALK1 signaling increased colonic IEC differentiation toward colonocytes. Down-regulated ALK1 signaling was associated with increased stemness and decreased colonocyte-specific marker expression in colonic IECs of CD patients compared with healthy controls. Activation of ALK1 enhanced epithelial barrier integrity in a transepithelial electrical resistance permeability assay. Lower colonic ALK1 expression was identified as an independent risk factor for surgery and was associated with a higher risk of endoscopic relapse in CD patients.
Conclusions:
Decreased colonic ALK1 disrupted colonic IEC barrier integrity and was associated with poor clinical outcomes in CD patients.
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