title: Histogenesis and morphofunctional characteristics of chromaffin cells.
abstract: This article reviews the current status of research about the histogenesis and morphofunctional characteristics of chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla. First, this study reports the selective migration, transcription and activation factors, and the morphological events of the chromaffin cell precursors during adrenal medulla development. Subsequently, the morphofunctional characteristics of adrenergic and non-adrenergic cells are considered, with particular reference to the characteristics of chromaffin granules and their biological steps, including their formation, traffic (storage, targeting and docking), exocytosis in the strict sense and recapture. Moreover, the relationship of chromaffin cells with other tissue components of the adrenal medulla is also revised, comprising the ganglion cells, sustentacular cells, nerves and connective-vascular tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Histology, School of Medicine, La Laguna University, Canary Islands, Spain. fvallapa@ull.es
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Díaz-Flores
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valladares
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Argüelles
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borges
mesh_terms: D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000196:embryology*; D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000166:cytology; D002450:Cell Communication; D019439:Chromaffin Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002837:Chromaffin Granules / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003239:Connective Tissue Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones