title: Endothelin-3 controls growth of colonic epithelial cells by mediating epithelial-mesenchymal interaction.
abstract: It has been repeatedly reported that endothelin-3 (ET-3) is expressed by gastrointestinal mesenchymes, and that paracrine signaling between ET-3 and its receptor plays an essential role in controlling differentiation of the enteric nervous system in the gut, especially in the colon. However it remains to be solved whether ET-3 plays a role in regulating the growth of gastrointestinal epithelial cells. We have previously reported culture systems for forestomach, glandular stomach and duodenal epithelial cells, but a system for colonic epithelial cells has not been established. In the present study, we examined optimal culture conditions for colonic epithelial cells, and examined whether ET-3 affects the growth of gastrointestinal epithelial cells, with special reference to colonic cells. We found that ET-3 dose-dependently and region-specifically stimulated their growth in primary culture: colonic epithelial cells were most responsive, followed by duodenal and glandular stomach epithelial cells. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that ET-3 and a receptor for ET-3 were expressed by both colonic mesenchymes and epithelia, but the levels were much higher in mesenchymes than in epithelia. These results suggest that ET-3 plays an important role in the growth control of colonic epithelial cells, possibly by mediating epithelial-mesenchymal interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. hfukama.monc@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukamachi
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narita
authors.forename: Naohisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yahagi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ichinose
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003106:Colon / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019334:Endothelin-3 / Q000502:physiology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D019334:Endothelin-3