Neuropod cell

This is a 3D reconstruction of a neuropod cell utilizing a serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBEM) data set in Imaris software.[1] On the left side of the cell has microvilli extending into the gut lumen and the right side has a neuropod extending into the basal lamina propria.[1]

A neuropod cell is a specialized enteroendocrine cell (i.e., sensory epithelial cell) within the gut that is capable of synapsing with afferent nerves.[2][3] Previously, transmission of sensory signals from enteroendocrine cells were thought to only occur in a paracrine fashion, in which secreted peptide hormones diffused through the lamina propria and contacted either intrinsic or extrinsic neurons, entered the circulation, and/or acted on specific target tissues.[4][5] However, neuropod cells, discovered by Dr. Diego V. Bohórquez in 2015 and later coined in 2018, were observed forming synaptic connections with nerves in the mucosa of the small and large intestine of rodents.[3][6] These synapses were revealed to involve neurons originating from the dorsal root ganglia and the vagal nodose ganglia of the spinal cord, which suggested that sensory information from the gut lumen could be conveyed to the brain within milliseconds of activation.[6] Also, it was found that these neuropod cells contained both pre- and postsynaptic proteins, suggesting that information could not only be conveyed to, but also received by neurons.[3][6][7] This newly found transmission mechanism of luminal senses from the gut to the brain may spark a new area of exploration within the gut-brain axis and sensory neurobiology.

  1. ^ a b Bohórquez, Diego V.; Samsa, Leigh A.; Roholt, Andrew; Medicetty, Satish; Chandra, Rashmi; Liddle, Rodger A. (2014). "An enteroendocrine cell-enteric glia connection revealed by 3D electron microscopy". PLOS ONE. 9 (2): e89881. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...989881B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089881. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3935946. PMID 24587096.
  2. ^ Liu, WW; Bohórquez, DV (October 2022). "The neural basis of sugar preference". Nature Reviews. Neuroscience. 23 (10): 584–595. doi:10.1038/s41583-022-00613-5. PMC 9886228. PMID 35879409.
  3. ^ a b c Bohórquez, Diego V.; Shahid, Rafiq A.; Erdmann, Alan; Kreger, Alex M.; Wang, Yu; Calakos, Nicole; Wang, Fan; Liddle, Rodger A. (2015-01-02). "Neuroepithelial circuit formed by innervation of sensory enteroendocrine cells". Journal of Clinical Investigation. 125 (2): 782–786. doi:10.1172/jci78361. ISSN 0021-9738. PMC 4319442. PMID 25555217. S2CID 3532608.
  4. ^ Bertrand, Paul (2009). "The cornucopia of intestinal chemosensory transduction". Frontiers in Neuroscience. 3: 48. doi:10.3389/neuro.21.003.2009. ISSN 1662-453X. PMC 3112321. PMID 20582275.
  5. ^ Cummings, David E.; Overduin, Joost (2007-01-02). "Gastrointestinal regulation of food intake". Journal of Clinical Investigation. 117 (1): 13–23. doi:10.1172/jci30227. ISSN 0021-9738. PMC 1716217. PMID 17200702.
  6. ^ a b c Kaelberer, Melanie Maya; Rupprecht, Laura E.; Liu, Winston W.; Weng, Peter; Bohórquez, Diego V. (2020-07-08). "Neuropod Cells: The Emerging Biology of Gut-Brain Sensory Transduction". Annual Review of Neuroscience. 43 (1): 337–353. doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-091619-022657. ISSN 0147-006X. PMC 7573801. PMID 32101483.
  7. ^ Bellono, Nicholas W.; Bayrer, James R.; Leitch, Duncan B.; Castro, Joel; Zhang, Chuchu; O’Donnell, Tracey A.; Brierley, Stuart M.; Ingraham, Holly A.; Julius, David (June 2017). "Enterochromaffin Cells Are Gut Chemosensors that Couple to Sensory Neural Pathways". Cell. 170 (1): 185–198.e16. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.034. ISSN 0092-8674. PMC 5839326. PMID 28648659.