Carboxypeptidase Inhibitor Latexin (LXN) Regulates Intestinal Organogenesis and Intestinal Remodeling Involved in Intestinal Injury Repair in Mice

The self-renewal and regeneration of intestinal epithelium are mainly driven by intestinal stem cells resided in crypts, which are crucial for rapid recovery intestinal tissue following injury. Latexin (LXN) is a highly expressed stem cell proliferation and differentiation related gene in intestinal tissue. However, it is still ambiguous whether LXN participates in intestine regeneration by regulating intestinal stem cells (ISCs). Here, we report that LXN colocalizes with Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) in intestinal crypts, and deletion of LXN upregulates the expression of Lgr5 in intestinal crypts. LXN deficiency promotes the proliferation of ISCs, thereby enhances the development of intestinal organoids. Mechanically, we show that LXN deficiency enhances the expression of Lgr5 in ISCs by activating the Yes-associated protein (YAP) and wingless (Wnt) signal pathways, thus accelerating intestinal normal growth and regeneration post-injury. In summary, these findings uncover a novel function of LXN in intestinal regeneration post-injury and intestinal organogenesis, suggesting the potential role of LXN in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.