Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024523 (malabsorption)
 7,319 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Intestinal uptake of vitamin B12 (hereafter B12) is impaired in a significant proportion of the human population. This impairment is due to inherited or acquired defects in the expression or function of proteins involved in the binding of diet-derived B12 and its uptake into intestinal cells. Bovine milk is an abundant source of bioavailable B12 wherein it is complexed with transcobalamin. In humans, transcobalamin functions primarily as a circulatory protein, which binds B12 following its absorption and delivers it to peripheral tissues via its cognate receptor, CD320. In the current study, the transcobalamin-B12 complex was purified from cows' milk and its ability to stimulate uptake of B12 into cultured bovine, mouse and human cell lines was assessed. Bovine milk-derived transcobalamin-B12 complex was absorbed by all cell types tested, suggesting that the uptake mechanism is conserved across species. Furthermore, the complex stimulated the uptake of B12 via the apical surface of differentiated Caco-2 human intestinal epithelial cells. These findings suggest the presence of an alternative transcobalamin-mediated uptake pathway for B12 in the human intestine other than that mediated by the gastric glycoprotein, intrinsic factor. Our findings highlight the potential for transcobalamin-B12 complex derived from bovine milk to be used as a natural bioavailable alternative to orally administered free B12 to overcome B12 malabsorption.
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PMID:Transcobalamin derived from bovine milk stimulates apical uptake of vitamin B12 into human intestinal epithelial cells. 2491 91

In humans, poor nutrition, malabsorption and variation in cobalamin (vitamin B12) metabolic genes are associated with hematological, neurological and developmental pathologies. Cobalamin is transported from blood into tissues via the transcobalamin (TC) receptor encoded by the CD320 gene. We created mice carrying a targeted deletion of the mouse ortholog, Cd320. Knockout (KO) mice lacking this TC receptor have elevated levels of plasma methylmalonic acid and homocysteine but are otherwise healthy, viable, fertile and not anemic. To challenge the Cd320 KO mice we maintained them on a vitamin B12-deficient diet. After 5 weeks on this diet, reproductive failure develops in Cd320 KO females but not males. In vitro, homozygous Cd320 KO embryos from cobalamin-deficient Cd320 KO dams develop normally to embryonic day (E) 3.5, while in vivo, few uterine decidual implantation sites are observed at E7.5, suggesting that embryos perish around the time of implantation. Dietary restriction of vitamin B12 induces a severe macrocytic anemia in Cd320 KO mice after 10-12 months while control mice on this diet are anemia-free up to 2 years. Despite the severe anemia, cobalamin-deficient KO mice do not exhibit obvious neurological symptoms. Our results with Cd320 KO mice suggest that an alternative mechanism exists for mice to transport cobalamin independent of the Cd320 encoded receptor. Our findings with deficient diet are consistent with historical and epidemiological data suggesting that low vitamin B12 levels in humans are associated with infertility and developmental abnormalities. Our Cd320 KO mouse model is an ideal model system for studying vitamin B12 deficiency.
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PMID:Mice lacking the transcobalamin-vitamin B12 receptor, CD320, suffer from anemia and reproductive deficits when fed vitamin B12-deficient diet. 3012 50