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Background & Aims In the small intestine, the paracellular transport of Na + is thought to be critical for luminal Na + -homeostasis and the transcellular absorption of nutrients by Na + -driven transporters. Na + is supplied to the intestinal lumen from the submucosa and serum through tight junctions, which form a paracellular barrier between the cells of epithelial sheets. However, the molecular basis for this paracellular transport of Na + is not well understood. Here, we examined this mechanism by performing loss-of-function studies of claudin-2 and claudin-15, two tight-junctional membrane proteins that are specifically and age-dependently expressed in the villi and/or crypts of small intestinal epithelia. Methods Knockout mice for claudin-2 or claudin-15 were subjected to histologic, cell biologic, electrophysiologic, and physiologic analyses. Results Examination of the knockout mice revealed that both claudin-2 and claudin-15 play crucial roles in the transepithelial paracellular channel-like permselectivity for extracellular monovalent cations, particularly Na + , in infants and adults. Especially in Cldn15 −/− adults, the luminal Na + concentration in the small intestine measured directly in vivo was abnormally low, and glucose absorption was impaired, as assessed by the oral glucose tolerance test and estimation of unabsorbed glucose. Conclusions We propose that the "Na + -leaky" claudin-15 is indispensable in vivo for the paracellular Na + permeability, luminal Na + -homeostasis, and efficient glucose absorption in the small intestine, but claudin-2 is indispensable for only the first of these functions. Claudin-15 knockout leads to Na + deficiency and glucose malabsorption in the mouse adult small intestine.

Background & Aims Bile formation and secretion are essential functions of the hepatobiliary system. Bile flow is generated by transepithelial transport of water and ionic/nonionic solutes via transcellular and paracellular pathways that is mainly driven by osmotic pressure. We examined the role of tight junction–based paracellular transport in bile secretion. Claudins are cell–cell adhesion molecules in tight junctions that create the paracellular barrier. The claudin family has 27 reported members, some of which have paracellular ion- and/or water-channel–like functions. Claudin 2 is a paracellular channel-forming protein that is highly expressed in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes; we examined the hepatobiliary system of claudin 2 knockout ( Cldn2 −/− ) mice. Methods We collected liver and biliary tissues from Cldn2 −/− and Cldn2 +/+ mice and performed histologic, biochemical, and electrophysiologic analyses. We measured osmotic movement of water and/or ions in Cldn2 −/− and Cldn2 +/+ hepatocytes and bile ducts. Mice were placed on lithogenic diets for 4 weeks and development of gallstone disease was assessed. Results The rate of bile flow in Cldn2 −/− mice was half that of Cldn2 +/+ mice, resulting in significantly more concentrated bile in livers of Cldn2 −/− mice. Consistent with these findings, osmotic gradient-driven water flow was significantly reduced in hepatocyte bile canaliculi and bile ducts isolated from Cldn2 −/− mice, compared with Cldn2 +/+ mice. After 4 weeks on lithogenic diets, all Cldn2 −/− mice developed macroscopically visible gallstones; the main component of the gallstones was cholesterol (>98%). In contrast, none of the Cldn2 +/+ mice placed on lithogenic diets developed gallstones. Conclusions Based on studies of Cldn2 −/− mice, claudin 2 regulates paracellular ion and water flow required for proper regulation of bile composition and flow. Dysregulation of this process increases susceptibility to cholesterol gallstone disease in mice.