Altered colonic glycoprotein expression in unaffected monozygotic twins of inflammatory bowel disease patients

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background and aims: Previous chromatographic analysis of colonic mucins from monozygotic twins with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suggested a genetic mucin alteration in ulcerative colitis (UC). This study explores this further by assessing mucosal expression of the oncofetal carbohydrate antigen TF (galactose β1, 3 N-acetylgalactosamine α-), among the same IBD twins. Materials and methods: Formalin fixed paraffin embedded rectal biopsies were studied from 22 monozygotic twin pairs with IBD. These included eight UC twin pairs and 14 Crohn’s disease (CD) twin pairs, with six pairs concordant for disease and 16 unaffected twin siblings. Closely adjacent sections were assessed by peanut lectin histochemistry for TF expression and immunohistochemically for nuclear factor κB (NFκB) activation with investigators blinded to the diagnosis. Results: Unaffected twins were almost all TF positive (15/16) compared with 5/29 histologically normal controls (pConclusions: Altered mucosal glycosylation in unaffected identical twins of IBD patients was confirmed in this study. This occurred in both UC and CD twins. The changes are probably acquired rather than congenital and may reflect “preinflammatory” NFκB activation.