Anatomy and Neuroscience - Research Publications

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    Morphologies and distributions of 5-HT containing enteroendocrine cells in the mouse large intestine
    Kuramoto, H ; Koo, A ; Fothergill, LJ ; Hunne, B ; Yoshimura, R ; Kadowaki, M ; Furness, JB (SPRINGER, 2021-05)
    Serotonin (5-HT)-containing gastrointestinal endocrine cells contribute to regulation of numerous bodily functions, but whether these functions are related to differences in cell shape is not known. The current study identified morphologies and localization of subtypes of 5-HT-containing enteroendocrine cells in the mouse large intestine. 5-HT cells were most frequent in the proximal colon compared with cecum and distal colon. The large intestine harbored both open (O) cells, with apical processes that reached the lumen, and closed (C) cells, not contacting the lumen, classified into O1, O2, and O3 and C1, C2, and C3 cells, by the lengths of their basal processes. O1 and C1 cells, with basal processes sometimes longer that 100 µm, were most common in the distal colon. Their long basal processes ran against the inner surfaces of the mucosal epithelial cells and were strongly immunoreactive for 5-HT; these processes are ideally placed to communicate with the epithelium and to react to mechanical forces. O2 and C2 cells that had similar but shorter basal processes were also most common in the distal colon. O3 and C3 cells had no or very short basal processes. The O3 open type 5-HT cells were abundant in the proximal colon, particularly at the luminal surface, where they could release 5-HT into the lumen to act on luminal 5-HT receptors. Numerous O3 type 5-HT cells occurred in the lower (submucosal) region of the crypts in all segments and might release 5-HT to influence cell renewal in the crypt proliferative zones.
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    5-HT containing enteroendocrine cells characterised by morphologies, patterns of hormone co-expression, and relationships with nerve fibres in the mouse gastrointestinal tract
    Koo, A ; Fothergill, LJ ; Kuramoto, H ; Furness, JB (SPRINGER, 2021-06)
    5-HT containing enteroendocrine cells (EEC), the most abundant type of EEC in the gut, regulate many functions including motility, secretion and inflammatory responses. We examined the morphologies of 5-HT cells from stomach to rectum, patterns of hormone co-expression in the stomach and colon, and the relationship of 5-HT cells with nerve fibres. We also reviewed some of the relevant literature. The morphologies of 5-HT cells were distinct, depending on their location in the gut. A noticeable feature of some 5-HT cells in the antrum and colon was their long basal processes, which resembled processes of neurons, whereas 5-HT cells in the small intestinal mucosa lacked basal processes. In the stomach, numerous 5-HT cells, including cells with basal processes, were identified as enterochromaffin-like cells by their expression of histidine decarboxylase. In the colon, we observed a small number of 5-HT cells that were in close contact with, but distinct from, oxyntomodulin (OXM) and PYY immunoreactive EEC. We did not find specific relationships between nerve fibres and the processes of colonic 5-HT cells. We conclude that five major features, i.e., gut region, morphology, hormone content, receptor repertoire and cell lineage, can be used to define 5-HT cells.