Dietary Nucleotides Increase the Proportion of a TCRγδ⁺ Subset of Intraepithelial Lymphocytes (IEL) and IL-7 Production by Intestinal Epithelial Cells (IEC); Implications for Modification of Cellular and Molecular Cross-talk between IEL and IEC by Dietary Nucleotides

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  We have investigated the effects of dietary nucleotides on intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) and intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) in weanling mice. The proportion of T-cell receptor (TCR) γδ⁺ IEL in BALB/c mice fed a diet supplemented with nucleotides (NT(+) diet) was significantly higher than that in mice fed the nucleotide-free diet, while the proportion of TCRαβ⁺ IEL in NT(+) diet-fed mice was significantly decreased. The change of the TCRαβ⁺/TCRγδ⁺ ratio was mainly observed in a CD8αα⁺ subset of IEL. IEC from NT(+) diet-fed mice produced a higher level of IL-7, which is important in the development of TCRγδ⁺ IEL, than those from control diet-fed mice. The expression levels of IL-7 and IL-2 receptors on IEL were not different between the two dietary groups. Our findings suggest that the increased population of a TCRγδ⁺ IEL subset by feeding nucleotides may be caused by the increased production of IL-7 by IEC.