Abstract
A short-chain fatty acid butyrate is produced in the colonic lumen and taken up by epithelial cells, playing an essential role in the maintenance of homeostasis of the colonic epithelium. Previous studies have demonstrated that butyrate suppresses cell proliferation and induces cellular differentiation and apoptosis in a wide variety of cell types. To identify the detailed mechanisms by which sodium butyrate (SB) induces the differentiation of colonic epithelial cells, GeneChip microarray and computational gene network analyses were performed. A differentiated phenotype accompanying elevations of alkaline phosphatase activity and histone acetylation was observed in the mouse colonic epithelial MCE301 cells treated with 2 mM SB. Of the 22,690 probe sets analyzed, 2,604 differentially expressed probe sets were identified in the differentiated cells and were classified into 4 groups. Of these, the gradually increased group and the gradually decreased group contained the genetic networks for cellular development and cell cycles, respectively. Moreover, the expression levels of transcripts for ion channels and transporters were changed remarkably by the differentiation of the cells. The present results provide a basis for understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms of the cell differentiation induced by SB in colonic epithelial cells. [J Physiol Sci. 2007;57 Suppl:S46]
