title: Review article: transcriptional events controlling the terminal differentiation of intestinal endocrine cells.
abstract: Secretin-producing enteroendocrine cells arise from a multipotential endocrine progenitor in the crypts of the small intestine. As these cells migrate up the crypt-villus axis, they produce secretin and stop dividing as they terminally differentiate and die. Transcription of the secretin gene is controlled by a complex enhancer binding to multiple transcription factors. The basic helix-loop-helix protein, BETA2, binds to an E box sequence and associates with the p300 coactivator to activate transcription of the secretin gene. Basic helix-loop-helix proteins appear to play a pivotal role in the control of cellular differentiation. BETA2 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in addition to activating secretin gene expression. Thus BETA2 may function as a master regulatory gene to coordinate terminal differentiation of secretin cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, GRASP Digestive Disease Center, and Tupper Research Institute, New England Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mutoh
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ratineau
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Leiter
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019858:Enteroendocrine Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000166:cytology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012633:Secretin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012633:Secretin