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Patricia L. Brubaker, A Beautiful Cell (or Two or Three?), Endocrinology, Volume 153, Issue 7, 1 July 2012, Pages 2945–2948, https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2012-1549
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The intestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ of the body, containing at least 15 different cells types that release more than 100 biologically active peptides and hormones [Fig. 1 (1–3)]. The vast majority of these enteroendocrine cells have been identified using immunohistochemical techniques, an approach that is inherently limited by the specificity of the antisera/antibodies, particularly because they are used in high concentrations with this technique (1). The current study by Habib et al. (4) takes advantage of two newly developed fluorescent enteroendocrine cell models (5, 6) to purify specific cells of interest, thereby permitting deeper interrogation of the gene profiles of these cells. The findings both confirm and extend previous observations that different enteroendocrine cell types have more features in common than originally believed. These findings have important implications for current investigations into the possible use of enteroendocrine cell stimulators for the treatment of diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
