Heterologous Expression and Delivery of Biologically Active Exendin-4 by Lactobacillus paracasei L14

Exendin-4, a glucagon-like protein-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is an excellent therapeutic peptide drug for type 2 diabetes due to longer lasting biological activity compared to GLP-1. This study explored the feasibility of using probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei as an oral vector for recombinant exendin-4 peptide delivery, an alternative to costly chemical synthesis and inconvenient administration by injection. L. paracasei transformed with a plasmid encoding the exendin-4 gene (L. paracasei L14/pMG76e-exendin-4) with a constitutive promotor was successfully constructed and showed efficient secretion of exendin-4. The secreted exendin-4 significantly enhanced insulin secretion of INS-1 β-cells, along with an increment in their proliferation and inhibition of their apoptosis, corresponding to the effect of GLP-1 on these cells. The transcription level of the pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 gene (PDX-1), a key transcription factor for cellular insulin synthesis and secretion, was upregulated by the treatment with secreted exendin-4, paralleling the upregulation of insulin gene expression. Caco-2 cell monolayer permeability assay showed a 34-fold increase in the transport of exendin-4 delivered by L. paracasei vs. that of free exendin-4 (control), suggesting effective facilitation of exendin-4 transport across the intestinal barrier by this delivery system. This study demonstrates that the probiotic Lactobacillus can be engineered to secrete bioactive exendin-4 and facilitate its transport through the intestinal barrier, providing a novel strategy for oral exendin-4 delivery using this lactic acid bacterium.