| Galectin-3,a lectin,is involved in a range of biological functions,such as cell proliferation,differentiation,and apoptosis.Here,we sought to determine the expression pattern and role of galectin-3 in the development and renewal of intestinal epithelial cells(IECs)in piglets.In this experiment,24 21-day-old(DurocхLandraceхYorkshire)weaned piglets were slaughter samples were taken at 0,1,3,and 7 days at four different ages.Tissue samples such as the intestine were collected for subsequent experimental analysis.The main results are as follows:1)The full-length cDNA of Sus scrofa galectin-3 was cloned and characterized.Nucleotide sequence analysis demonstrated that the galectin-3 gene encodes a 241 amino acid protein.2)On jejunum,protein and mRNA levels of galectin-3 on day 0 after weaning(D0)and D3 were higher than those on D1 or D7.On duodenum or ileum,there were higher protein and mRNA expression of galectin-3 on D1 or D7 than those on D0 and D3.3)Immunohistochemical analysis of galectin-3 showed that protein levels were higher in villus compartment than that in crypt compartment,which may indicate that galectin-3 is important for the renewal of enterocytes in weaned piglets.4)Cellular proliferation assays indicated that the knockdown of galectin-3 significantly reduced the viability of IPEC-J2 cells.Furthermore,qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the mRNA expression of Axin1,Oct4,and Wnt2 were significantly downregulated,and the expression of wnt4 was upregulated(P< 0.05)by galectin-3 knockdown in IPEC-J2 cells.These results indicated that galectin-3 is associated with the Wnt signaling pathway in IECs.In summary,our results showed that galectin-3 may play an important role in weaning stress and is closely related to the renewal of IECs in weaned piglets,which could be associated with Wnt signaling pathway.Our findings contribute to understanding the role of galectin-3 in the regulation of intestinal epithelial development changes. |
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