Characterization and function of OPA1 in intestinal epithelial homeostasis and the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease

OPA1 在肠上皮稳态中的特征和功能以及炎症性肠病的发病机制

• 批准号: 510624836
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Christoph Becker
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Medizinische Klinik 1 - Gastroenterologie, Pneumologie und Endokrinologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/510624836?language=en
• 关键词: Characterization; function; OPA1; intestinal; epithelial

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) are common inflammatory diseases affecting more than 400.000 patients in Germany alone. Since the cause of IBD is largely unknown, there is currently no causative therapy available for IBD patients. Our previous studies provided functional evidence that a primary defect in cell death regulation of the intestinal epithelium can cause barrier dysfunction, microbial translocation into the bowel wall and chronic gut inflammation with similar features as seen in IBD patients. We also demonstrated that epithelial cells death pathways are tightly regulated by both signals from the microbiome and the immune system in the steady state gut. Mitochondria play a crucial role in cell death regulation and the dynamics of mitochondrial fission and fusion in cells has recently been shown to be connected to immune and tissue homeostasis. Although functional data regarding the role of these processes in gut immune homeostasis and IBD are sparse, our unpublished data imply an important role for OPA1, a key regulator of mitochondrial fusion, for intestinal immune homeostasis and the pathogenesis of IBD. Our preliminary data provide evidence of mitochondrial alterations in epithelial cells of IBD patients. Moreover, OPA1 was found to be downregulated in both experimental colitis in mice and human IBD. In support of an important functional role of OPA1, newly generated mice specifically deficient in OPA1 in the intestinal epithelium spontaneously developed chronic intestinal inflammation associated with increased epithelial cell death. Based on these preliminary data, we hypothesize that OPA1 has a profound impact on the development of intestinal inflammation and that modulating OPA1 and mitochondrial dynamics might have therapeutic potential in IBD. To evaluate this hypothesis and to decipher the consequences of diminished OPA1 expression on mitochondrial dynamics, epithelial cell homeostasis and intestinal inflammation, we aim to study the functional role of epithelial OPA1 for intestinal tissue homeostasis and gut inflammation using mice with altered OPA1 expression. Further, we will focus on revealing the functional role of OPA1 for epithelial barrier functions and assess changes on the level of mitochondria caused by OPA1 deficiency. Finally, we will evaluate the impact of OPA1 on the development and progression of human IBD and further explore the potential therapeutic value of preclinical modulation of OPA1 expression and function. Our long-term goal is to evaluate the innovative concept that a dysfunction in mitochondrial dynamics is a driver of IBD pathogenesis.

炎症性肠病（IBD，克罗恩病和溃疡性结肠炎）是常见的炎症性疾病，仅在德国就影响了40万名患者。由于IBD的原因在很大程度上尚不清楚，因此目前尚无针对IBD患者的认真治疗。我们以前的研究提供了功能证据，表明肠上皮细胞死亡调节的主要缺陷会导致障碍功能障碍，微生物易位到肠壁和慢性肠道注射，其特征与IBD患者相似。我们还证明了上皮细胞死亡途径受稳态肠道中的信号和免疫系统的信号严格调节。线粒体在细胞死亡调节中起着至关重要的作用，细胞中线粒体裂变和融合的动力学最近已被证明与免疫和组织稳态有关。尽管有关这些过程在肠道免疫稳态和IBD中的作用的功能数据很少，但我们未发表的数据意味着OPA1是线粒体融合的关键调节剂，对肠道免疫稳态的关键调节剂，以及IBD的病原体。我们的初步数据提供了IBD患者上皮细胞线粒体改变的证据。此外，发现OPA1在小鼠和人IBD的实验性结肠炎中都被下调。为了支持OPA1的重要功能作用，新生成的小鼠在OPA1中特异性定义的肠上皮上皮发育为慢性肠道注射，与上皮细胞死亡增加有关。基于这些初步数据，我们假设OPA1对肠道注射的发展具有深远的影响，并且调节OPA1和线粒体动力学可能在IBD中具有治疗潜力。为了评估这一假设并破译OPA1表达对线粒体动力学，上皮细胞稳态和肠道炎症的后果，我们旨在研究上肠组织稳态和使用改变OPA1表达的小鼠的肠道组织稳态和肠道注射的上皮OPA1的功能作用。此外，我们将专注于揭示OPA1在上皮屏障功能方面的功能作用，并评估由OPA1缺乏引起的线粒体水平的变化。最后，我们将评估OPA1对人IBD的发展和进展的影响，并进一步探讨OPA1表达和功能的临床前调节的潜在治疗价值。我们的长期目标是评估创新的概念，即线粒体动力学的功能障碍是IBD发病机理的驱动力。