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A cluster of gustducin-expressing cells in the mouse stomach associated with two distinct populations of enteroendocrine cells

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Abstract

In the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a variety of digestive processes are continually adapted to the changing composition of ingested foods, which requires a precise chemosensory monitoring of luminal contents. Gustducin-expressing brush cells scattered throughout the GI mucosa are considered candidate sensory cells for accomplishing this task. In this study, we have investigated a large cluster of gustducin-positive cells which is located exactly at the boundary between the fundic and the oxyntic mucosa of the mouse stomach, at the so-called “limiting ridge”. In close association with the candidate chemosensory cluster, we found two populations of enteroendocrine cells: one population containing the satiety regulating hormone ghrelin, the other population comprising serotonin-secreting enterochromaffin cells. The particular arrangement of gustducin-expressing cells and enteroendocrine cells at the limiting ridge suggests a direct interplay between these cell types with immediate implications, not only for digestive processes in the stomach, but also for parameters controlling the satiety status.

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Abbreviations

CV:

Circumvallate papilla

EC cells:

Enterochromaffin cells

ECL cells:

Enterochromaffin-like cells

GI:

Gastrointestinal

GLP-1:

Glucagon-like peptide-1

5-HT:

5-Hydroxytryptamin

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Acknowledgments

We thank Kerstin Bach for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by the Schwerpunktprogramm Baden-Württemberg.

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  1. University of Hohenheim, Institute of Physiology, Garbenstrasse 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany

    Nicole Hass, Karin Schwarzenbacher & Heinz Breer

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  1. Nicole Hass
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  2. Karin Schwarzenbacher
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  3. Heinz Breer
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Correspondence to Heinz Breer.

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Hass, N., Schwarzenbacher, K. & Breer, H. A cluster of gustducin-expressing cells in the mouse stomach associated with two distinct populations of enteroendocrine cells. Histochem Cell Biol 128, 457–471 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-007-0325-3

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