Expression of intestinal fatty acid binding protein in intestinal epithelial cell lines, hBRIE 380 cells

Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) is a cytosolic protein present only in differentiated intestinal epithelial cells. Here we report on an intestinal cell culture system expressing I-FABP during cell differentiation and the modulation of expression by extracellular factors. An I-FABP-expressing cell line (hBRIE 380i) was generated from Berkeley rat intestinal epithelial cells (hBRIE 380). Time- and substratum-dependent changes in I-FABP mRNA expression were paralleled by changes in protein levels. Induction of I-FABP levels observed on collagen type I gels in the presence of limiting serum was prevented by insulin. When cells were grown on collagen gels containing fibronectin and laminin, a stimulation of ultrastructural characteristics of cell differentiation was observed with no further induction of I-FABP expression. The data show that I-FABP expression is limited to a differentiated population of hBRIE 380i cells and that the expression can be regulated by factors present in the extracellular matrix as well as involved in regulation of replication or metabolic state of the cell.