Review
Neuropods

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmgh.2019.01.006Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) are sensory cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Most EECs reside in the mucosal lining of the stomach or intestine and sense food in the gut lumen. Food signals stimulate the release of hormones into the paracellular space where they either act locally or are taken up into the blood and circulate to distant organs. It recently was recognized that many EECs possess basal processes known as neuropods that not only contain hormones but also connect to nerves. This review describes how neuropods contribute to EEC function beyond typical hormonal actions. For example, gastrointestinal hormones not only act on distant organs, but, through neuropods, some act locally to stimulate other mucosal cells such as intestinal stem cells, enterocytes, or other EECs. With the recent discovery that EECs communicate directly with enteric nerves, EECs not only have the ability to sense food and bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, but can communicate these signals directly to the nervous system.

Keywords

Enteroendocrine cell
Gut Hormone
Paracrine
Neuron
Neurotransmission

Abbreviations used in this paper

CCK
cholecystokinin
EEC
enteroendocrine cell
EGF
epidermal growth factor
GFP
green fluorescent protein
GLP
glucagon-like peptide
IGF-1
insulin-like growth factor-1
iSEMF
intestinal subepithelial myofibroblast
PYY
peptide YY

Cited by (0)

Conflicts of interest The author discloses no conflicts.

Funding This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants DK098796 and 109368, and the Department of Veterans Affairs grant BX002230.