Abstract
Intestinal bile acid-binding protein (I-BABP) is a cytosolic protein that binds bile acids (BAs) with a high affinity. In the small intestine, its expression is restricted to the ileum where it is involved in the enterohepatic circulation of BAs. Using the human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cell line, we have recently shown that BAs increased I-BABP gene expression. To determine whether this regulation occurs in vivo, the effect of BA depletion or supplementation was studied in mice. A dramatic drop in I-BABP mRNA levels was observed in mice treated with the BA-binding resin cholestyramine, whereas an increase was found in animals fed with taurocholic acid. BAs are physiological ligands for the nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR). Both FXR and I-BABP are co-expressed along the small intestine and in Caco-2 cells. To determine the role of FXR in the regulation of I-BABP expression, the promoter of the human I-BABP gene was cloned. In Caco-2 cells, cotransfection of FXR and RXRα is required to obtain the full transactivation of the I-BABP promoter by BAs. Deletion and mutation analyses demonstrate that the FXR/RXRα heterodimer activates transcription through an inverted repeat bile acid responsive element located in position -160/-148 of the human I-BABP promoter. In conclusion, we show that FXR is a physiological BA sensor that is likely to play an essential role in BA homeostasis through the regulation of genes involved in their enterohepatic circulation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 29749-29754 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Biological Chemistry |
Volume | 274 |
Issue number | 42 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 15 1999 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology