Glutamine transporter in crypts compensates for loss of villus absorption in bovine cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidium parvum infection represents a significant cause of diarrhea in humans and animals. We studied the effect of luminally applied glutamine and the PG synthesis inhibitor indomethacin on NaCl absorption from infected calf ileum in Ussing chambers. Infected ileum displayed a decrease in both mucosal surface area and NaCl absorption. Indomethacin and glutamine or its stable derivative alanyl-glutamine increased the net absorption of Na+ in infected tissue in an additive manner and to a greater degree than in controls. Immunohistochemical and Western blot studies showed that in control animals neutral amino acid transport system ABC was present in villus and crypts, whereas in infected animals, ASC was strongly present only on the apical border of crypts. These results are consistent with PGs mediating the altered NaCl and water absorption in this infection. Our findings further illustrate that the combined use of a PG synthesis inhibitor and glutamine can fully stimulate Na+ and Cl- absorption despite the severe villous atrophy, an effect associated with increased expression of a Na+-dependent amino acid transporter in infected crypts.