Diwakarla S, Fothergill L J, Fakhry J, Callaghan B, Furness J B
Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2017 Jun;29(6). doi: 10.1111/nmo.13101.
Enterochromaffin cells were the first endocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract to be chemically distinguished, almost 150 years ago. It is now known that the chromaffin reaction of these cells was due to their content of the reactive aromatic amine, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, also known as serotonin). They have commonly been thought to be a special class of gut endocrine cells (enteroendocrine cells) that are distinct from the enteroendocrine cells that contain peptide hormones. The study by Martin et al. in the current issue of this journal reveals that the patterns of expression of nutrient receptors and transporters differ considerably between chromaffin cells of the mouse duodenum and colon. However, even within regions, chromaffin cells differ; in the duodenum there are chromaffin cells that contain both secretin and 5-HT, cholecystokinin and 5-HT, and all three of secretin, cholecystokinin, and 5-HT. Moreover, the ratios of these different cell types differ substantially between species. And, in terms of function, 5-HT has many roles, including in appetite, motility, fluid secretion, release of digestive enzymes and bone metabolism. The paper thus emphasizes the need to define the many different classes of enterochromaffin cells and relate this to their roles.
嗜铬细胞是胃肠道中最早在化学上被区分出来的内分泌细胞，大约在150年前。现在已知这些细胞的嗜铬反应是由于它们含有活性芳香胺5-羟色胺（5-HT，也称为血清素）。它们通常被认为是一类特殊的肠道内分泌细胞（肠内分泌细胞），与含有肽类激素的肠内分泌细胞不同。Martin等人在本期杂志上发表的研究表明，小鼠十二指肠和结肠的嗜铬细胞之间营养受体和转运体的表达模式有很大差异。然而，即使在同一区域内，嗜铬细胞也存在差异；在十二指肠中，有同时含有促胰液素和5-HT、胆囊收缩素和5-HT以及促胰液素、胆囊收缩素和5-HT这三种物质的嗜铬细胞。此外，这些不同细胞类型的比例在不同物种之间有很大差异。而且，就功能而言，5-HT有许多作用，包括在食欲、运动、液体分泌、消化酶释放和骨代谢方面。因此，这篇论文强调了定义多种不同类型的嗜铬细胞并将其与它们的作用联系起来的必要性。
