title: The role of capsulin in the morphogenesis and differentiation of fetal rat gastric mucosa.
abstract: The signals that guide the morphogenesis and differentiation of rat fetal gastric mucosa remain largely unknown. We have investigated the role of capsulin in pit/gland formation and epithelial cell differentiation in cultured stomach tissue. Embryonic day 16.5 (E 16.5) stomach tissue cultured for three days in the presence of 1 microM hydrocortisone underwent dramatic transformation, from undifferentiated, stratified cells to differentiated epithelia composed of polarised columnar cells with mucous cells and pit/glands. In the presence of capsulin antisense oligonucleotides directed against capsulin mRNA, tissues do not undergo further development. Significantly, both mucous granules and pit/gland formation were inhibited compared to capsulin sense/scrambled oligonucleotide treated controls. However, in tissues treated with specific anti-rat HGF-antiserum to neutralise secreted HGF, pit/gland formation was inhibited, but the number of mucous granules remained unchanged compared to controls treated with non-specific antiserum (mouse monoclonal cytokeratin 8 antiserum). This data suggests that capsulin may have a role in the morphogenesis of pit/glands and mucin granule formation in the developing rat gastric mucosa. We discuss the possibility that this role of capsulin may be partly mediated through the actions of HGF.
authors.affiliation: University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine at Western Hospital, Footscray, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Giraud
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Familari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D014157:Transcription Factors; C491824:Tcf21 protein, rat