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Relationships of endocrine cells to each other and to other cell types in the human gastric fundus and corpus

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Abstract

Gastric endocrine cell hormones contribute to the control of the stomach and to signalling to the brain. In other gut regions, enteroendocrine cells (EECs) exhibit extensive patterns of colocalisation of hormones. In the current study, we characterise EECs in the human gastric fundus and corpus. We utilise immunohistochemistry to investigate EECs with antibodies to ghrelin, serotonin (5-HT), somatostatin, peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide 1, calbindin, gastrin and pancreastatin, the latter as a marker of enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. EECs were mainly located in regions of the gastric glands populated by parietal cells. Gastrin cells were absent and PYY cells were very rare. Except for about 25% of 5-HT cells being a subpopulation of ECL cells marked by pancreastatin, colocalisation of hormones in gastric EECs was infrequent. Ghrelin cells were distributed throughout the fundus and corpus; most were basally located in the glands, often very close to parietal cells and were closed cells i.e., not in contact with the lumen. A small proportion had long processes located close to the base of the mucosal epithelium. The 5-HT cells were of at least three types: small, round, closed cells; cells with multiple, often very long, processes; and a subgroup of ECL cells. Processes were in contact with their surrounding cells, including parietal cells. Mast cells had very weak or no 5-HT immunoreactivity. Somatostatin cells were a closed type with long processes. In conclusion, four major chemically defined EEC types occurred in the human oxyntic mucosa. Within each group were cells with distinct morphologies and relationships to other mucosal cells.

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Funding

This work was supported by NIH (SPARC) grant ID no. OT2OD023847 (PI Terry Powley) to JBF. SMW was supported by NIH DK57236.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Josiane Fakhry, Martin J. Stebbing, Billie Hunne, Brid Callaghan, Rachel M. McQuade & John B. Furness

  2. Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Martin J. Stebbing, Rachel M. McQuade & John B. Furness

  3. Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Reno School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA

    Yulia Bayguinov & Sean M. Ward

  4. School of Medicine, Universiity of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA

    Kent C. Sasse

  5. Renown Regional Medical Center, Reno, NV, 89502, USA

    Kent C. Sasse

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  1. Josiane Fakhry
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  2. Martin J. Stebbing
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  3. Billie Hunne
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  8. Rachel M. McQuade
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  9. John B. Furness
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Correspondence to John B. Furness.

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Fakhry, J., Stebbing, M.J., Hunne, B. et al. Relationships of endocrine cells to each other and to other cell types in the human gastric fundus and corpus. Cell Tissue Res 376, 37–49 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-018-2957-0

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