An enteroendocrine cell-enteric glia connection revealed by 3D electron microscopy.

Bohórquez, Diego V

Samsa, Leigh A

Roholt, Andrew

Medicetty, Satish

Chandra, Rashmi

Liddle, Rodger A

Klymkowsky, Michael

United States

2015-01-28T17:06:03Z

2014

The enteroendocrine cell is the cornerstone of gastrointestinal chemosensation. In the intestine and colon, this cell is stimulated by nutrients, tastants that elicit the perception of flavor, and bacterial by-products; and in response, the cell secretes hormones like cholecystokinin and peptide YY--both potent regulators of appetite. The development of transgenic mice with enteroendocrine cells expressing green fluorescent protein has allowed for the elucidation of the apical nutrient sensing mechanisms of the cell. However, the basal secretory aspects of the enteroendocrine cell remain largely unexplored, particularly because a complete account of the enteroendocrine cell ultrastructure does not exist. Today, the fine ultrastructure of a specific cell can be revealed in the third dimension thanks to the invention of serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBEM). Here, we bridged confocal microscopy with SBEM to identify the enteroendocrine cell of the mouse and study its ultrastructure in the third dimension. The results demonstrated that 73.5% of the peptide-secreting vesicles in the enteroendocrine cell are contained within an axon-like basal process. We called this process a neuropod. This neuropod contains neurofilaments, which are typical structural proteins of axons. Surprisingly, the SBEM data also demonstrated that the enteroendocrine cell neuropod is escorted by enteric glia--the cells that nurture enteric neurons. We extended these structural findings into an in vitro intestinal organoid system, in which the addition of glial derived neurotrophic factors enhanced the development of neuropods in enteroendocrine cells. These findings open a new avenue of exploration in gastrointestinal chemosensation by unveiling an unforeseen physical relationship between enteric glia and enteroendocrine cells.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24587096

PONE-D-13-53986

1932-6203

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9382

eng

Public Library of Science (PLoS)

PLoS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0089881

Animals

Cell Surface Extensions

Enteroendocrine Cells

Imaging, Three-Dimensional

Intermediate Filaments

Mice

Microscopy, Confocal

Microscopy, Electron, Scanning

Secretory Vesicles

An enteroendocrine cell-enteric glia connection revealed by 3D electron microscopy.

Journal article

Liddle, Rodger A|0000-0002-5498-4151

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24587096

e89881

2

Basic Science Departments

Clinical Science Departments

Duke

Duke Cancer Institute

Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

Institutes and Centers

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

Medicine

Medicine, Gastroenterology

Neurobiology

School of Medicine

University Institutes and Centers

Published online

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