Bands for claudin-4, which is not expressed in the liver, and claudin-5, which is expressed only in endothelial junctions,16 were not detected (Fig. 3A and data not shown). RTPCR analysis showed that expression of the claudin-2 gene was 10-fold lower in KO

mice, suggesting its regulation at the transcriptional level by β-catenin (Fig. 3B). Immunostaining for claudin-2 showed prominent zone 3 staining in WT but not in KO livers (Supporting Fig. 2). Hepatic tight junctions form the blood–bile barrier that keeps sinusoidal blood spatially separated from canalicular bile. We asked whether disruption of hepatic tight junction integrity from loss of claudin-2 could account for the bile secretory defect in KO mice. We tested the functional integrity of hepatic tight junctions in KO mice by assaying for biliary FD-40 excretion after intravenous injection (Fig. 3C). Disruption of tight junctions buy Daporinad causes an early peak in bile fluorescence.13 MK-2206 chemical structure No such early peak in fluorescence was detected in KO mice to suggest defective tight junction integrity. Instead, KO mice had a significant delay in FD-40 excretion in bile, likely resulting from their lower bile flow rate. Evaluation by transmission electron microscopy showed normal appearing tight junctions in KO mice (Fig. 3D). To further evaluate the cholestatic phenotype in KO mice, we stained liver sections with TRITC-phalloidin for F-actin, which exhibits pericanalicular localization

in hepatocytes. WT livers exhibited interconnected, evenly spaced “train-track” bile canaliculi (Fig. 4A,B). In contrast, KO livers showed distorted bile canaliculi

(Fig. 4C,D) with occasional grossly misshapen “corkscrew” shaped canaliculi (Fig. 4D-F). We confirmed that these abnormal structures seen in KO livers on F-actin staining were bile canaliculi by double-labeling liver sections with TRITC-phalloidin and anti–zona occludens 1 antibody (Supporting Fig. 2). Bile canalicular morphology was also evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (Fig. 5A-D). Canaliculi in KO livers were dilated, with an average diameter of approximately 1 μM, which was 25%-40% greater than in WT mice. Canaliculi in KO livers were tortuous and showed frequent blind loops. Strikingly, there was a marked NADPH-cytochrome-c2 reductase paucity of microvilli within canaliculi in KO mice with corresponding bare areas within the canalicular lumina (Fig. 5C,D). The subsinusoidal surface of KO hepatocytes also showed a relative decrease in microvilli by both scanning (Fig. 5D) and transmission electron microscopy (Fig. 5F). The ultrastructure of bile ducts within portal triads appeared normal in KO mice (data not shown). Cholic acid feeding has been used to study bile acid-mediated liver toxicity.17 To determine the effect of cholic acid feeding, mice were fed either chow or chow supplemented with 0.5% cholic acid for 2 weeks. Both strains of mice had body weight loss on the cholic acid diet (Fig. 6A) but increase in liver weight and liver-to-body weight ratio (Fig. 6B).