Affiliation:
1. Department of Biology, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
Abstract
Energetic challenges match intestinal size to dietary intake but less is known about how the intestine responds to specific macronutrient challenges. We examined how intestinal size responds to insufficient dietary protein at the microscopic level. Villi, enterocytes, and surface area were measured across the length of the small intestine in non-reproductive and lactating Mus musculus fed isocaloric control or protein-deficient diets. Lactating mice on the protein-deficient diet exhibited a 24% increase in villus height and a 30% increase in enterocyte width in the proximal small intestine and an overall similar increase in surface area; on the control diet changes in villus height were localized in the mid region. Flexibility localized to the proximal small intestine suggests that enterokinase, a localized enzyme, may be a candidate enzyme that could promote compensation for a protein-deficient diet. Such flexibility could allow species to persist in the face of anthropogenically-induced changing dietary profiles.
Funder
Loyola University
National Science Foundation
Publisher
The Company of Biologists
Subject
Insect Science,Molecular Biology,Animal Science and Zoology,Aquatic Science,Physiology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
4 articles.
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