Final Progress Report

Proposal No. IBD-0220
Principal Investigator:  Jean-Luc Desseyn, Ph.D.
Applicant Organization:  INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) (Lille, France)
Project Title:  Protective action of a cysteine-rice mucin domain on the intestinal mucosa in experimental colitis
Period of Award:  February 1, 2008 – March 31, 2010

Lay Summary:

To reinforce the mucus barrier of the digestive tract, we created a transgenic mouse strain that secretes into the lumen of the intestine a recombinant molecule made of 12 domains normally found in two copies in a molecule of the mucus. The transgenic mouse is healthy but its mucus blanket is modified. The transgene can be visualized in vivo on anaesthetized animals and our preliminary data suggest that it exerts a protective effect on the epithelial cells in a chemical-induced challenge. Experiments are on their way to show that the recombinant molecule can also inhibit the translocation of pathogens in the GI tract. If these studies provide strong evidence of the importance of the recombinant molecule in our animal models in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), we will then design a new study in order to deliver the recombinant molecule in the GI tract using safe recombinant microorganisms. This could be tested in mice as well as in IBD patients. Providing the molecule as a food supplement represents a safe, costless, non-invasive strategy against IBD by oral administration of a natural compound secreted into the lumen of the GI tract.