title: Intestinal sensing of nutrients.
abstract: Ingestion of a meal triggers a range of physiological responses both within and outside the gut, and results in the remote modulation of appetite and glucose homeostasis. Luminal contents are sensed by specialised chemosensitive cells scattered throughout the intestinal epithelium. These enteroendocrine and tuft cells make direct contact with the gut lumen and release a range of chemical mediators, which can either act in a paracrine fashion interacting with neighbouring cells and nerve endings or as classical circulating hormones. At the molecular level, the chemosensory machinery involves multiple and complex signalling pathways including activation of G-protein-coupled receptors and solute carrier transporters. This chapter will discuss our current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying intestinal chemosensation with a particular focus on the relatively well-characterised nutrient-triggered secretion from the enteroendocrine system.
authors.affiliation: Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
authors.forename: Gwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tolhurst
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reimann
authors.forename: Fiona M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Gribble
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001069:Appetite Regulation; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D004435:Eating; D019858:Enteroendocrine Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins