TY - JOUR N2 - Tight junction proteins are important for the maintenance and repair of the intestinal mucosal barrier. The present study investigated relationships among tight junction protein gene expres- sion, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection, and intestinal mucosal morphology in piglets. We compared the expression of six tight junction proteins (ZO-1, ZO-2, Occludin, Claudin-1, Claudin-4, and Claudin-5) between seven-day-old piglets infected with PEDV and normal piglets, as well as in PEDV-infected porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2). We also evaluated differences in mucosal morphology between PEDV-infected and normal piglets. The expression of six tight junction protein genes was lower in PEDV-infected piglets than in the normal animals. The expression of ZO-1, ZO-2, Occludin, and Claudin-4 in the intestine tissue was significantly lower (p<0.05) in PEDV-infected than in normal piglets. The expression of Claudin-5 in the jejunum was significantly lower in PEDV-infected piglets than in the normal animals (p<0.01). The expression of Claudin-1 and Claudin-5 genes in the ileum was signifi- cantly higher in PEDV-infected piglets than in normal piglets (p<0.01). Morphologically, the intestinal mucosa in PEDV-infected piglets exhibited clear pathological changes, including breakage and shedding of intestinal villi. In PEDV-infected IPEC-J2 cells, the mRNA expression of the six tight junction proteins showed a downward trend; in particular, the expression of the Occludin and Claudin-4 genes was significantly lower (p<0.01). These data suggest that the expression of these six tight junction proteins, especially Occludin and Claudin-4, plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier and resistance to PEDV infection in piglets. L1 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/112773/PDF/20.pdf L2 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/112773 PY - 2019 IS - No 2 EP - 353 DO - 10.24425/pjvs.2019.129226 KW - pig KW - tight junction protein KW - PEDV KW - diarrhea A1 - Zong, Q.F. A1 - Huang, Y.J. A1 - Wu, L.S. A1 - Wu, Z.C. A1 - Wu, S.L. A1 - Bao, W.B. PB - Polish Academy of Sciences Committee of Veterinary Sciences PB - University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn VL - vol.22 DA - 2019.07.01 T1 - Effects of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection on tight junction protein gene expression and morphology of the intestinal mucosa in pigs SP - 345 UR - http://www.journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/112773 T2 - Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences ER -