Chromogranin A regulates gut permeabilityviathe antagonistic actions of its proteolytic peptides

Aim A ‘leaky’ gut barrier has been implicated in the initiation and progression of a multitude of diseases, e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, and colorectal cancers. Here we show how pro-hormone Chromogranin A (CgA), produced by the enteroendocrine cells, and Catestatin (CST: hCgA 352-372 ), the most abundant CgA-derived proteolytic peptide, affect the gut barrier. Methods Colon tissues from region-specific CST-knockout (CST-KO) mice, CgA-knockout (CgA-KO) and WT mice were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, ultrastructural and flowcytometry studies. FITC-dextran assays were used to measure intestinal barrier function. Mice were supplemented with CST or CgA fragment pancreastatin (PST: CgA 250-301 ). The microbial composition of cecum was determined. CgA and CST levels were measured in blood of IBD patients. Results CST-KO mice displayed (i) elongated tight, adherens junctions and desmosomes similar to IBD patients, and (ii) gut inflammation. Consistently, plasma FITC-dextran measurements showed increased intestinal paracellular permeability in the CST-knockout mice. This correlated with a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, a dysbiotic pattern commonly encountered in various diseases. Supplementation of CST-knockout mice with recombinant CST restored paracellular permeability and reversed inflammation, whereas CgA-knockout mice supplementation with CST and/or PST in CgA-KO mice showed that intestinal paracellular permeability is regulated by the antagonistic roles of these two peptides: CST reduces and PST increases permeability. Conclusion The pro-hormone CgA regulates the intestinal paracellular permeability. CST is both necessary and sufficient to reduce permeability and primarily acts via antagonizing the effects of PST.