Galactose inhibits lactase expression by mouse jejunal enterocytes.

Present work uses a combination of quantitative cytochemistry and measurements of cell migration rates to describe galactose effects on lactase expression by mouse enterocytes. Mice fed galactose were found to eat less, weigh less and drink more than mice maintained on a low-carbohydrate isocalorific diet. The enterocyte migration rate in these mice was also only one third of that determined in low-carbohydrate-fed animals. The rate at which lactase activity increased in the brush border membrane of migrating enterocytes was 3-times greater in low-carbohydrate- compared with galactose-fed mice. The time during which this increase persisted was, however, 3-times less in low-carbohydrate-fed animals. The maximum rate of sucrase-maltase appearance, measured as control in these experiments, remained unaffected by galactose feeding. Galactose effects on lactase expression might in part result from mice being unable to metabolise this substrate. Previously it has been stated that galactose increases lactase biosynthesis in rat intestine (Koldovsky, O., Bustamonte, S. and Yamada (1981) In Mechanisms of intestinal adaptation (Robinson, J.W.L., Dowling, R.H. and Ricken, E.O., eds.), pp. 153-156, MTP Press, Lancaster). This result is discussed in relation to the opposite finding reported in the present work for mouse jejunal enterocytes. The need to relate enzyme appearance to age and developmental state of enterocytes in this type of study is also emphasized.