Macrophage migration inhibitory factor plays a role in the regulation of microfold (M) cell-mediated transport in the gut

It has been shown previously that certain bacteria rapidly (3 h) up-regulated in vivo microfold cell (M cell)-mediated transport of Ag across the follicle-associated epithelium of intestinal Peyer’s patch. Our aim was to determine whether soluble mediators secreted following host-bacteria interaction were involved in this event. A combination of proteomics and immunohistochemical analyses was used to identify molecules produced in the gut in response to bacterial challenge in vivo; their effects were then tested on human intestinal epithelial cells in vitro. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was the only cytokine produced rapidly after in vivo bacterial challenge by CD11c cells located beneath the M cell-rich area of the follicle-associated epithelium of the Peyer’s patch. Subsequently, in vitro experiments conducted using human Caco-2 cells showed that, within hours, MIF induced the appearance of cells that showed temperature-dependent transport of microparticles and M cell-specific bacterium Vibrio cholerae, and acquired biochemical features ofMcells. Furthermore, using an established in vitro humanMcell model, we showed that anti-MIF Ab blocked Raji B cell-mediated conversion of Caco-2 cells into Ag-sampling cells. Finally, we report that MIF/ mice, in contrast to wild-type mice, failed to show increased M cell-mediated transport following in vivo bacterial challenge. These data show that MIF plays a role inMcell-mediated transport, and cross-talk between bacteria, gut epithelium, and immune system is instrumental in regulating key functions of the gut, including M cell-mediated Ag sampling