Glucocorticoids have pleiotropic effects on small intestinal crypt cells

Glucocorticoids have long been known to accelerate maturation of the intestinal tract, but the molecular mechanisms that account for their physiological function in the epithelium remain poorly characterized. Using rat intestinal epithelial cell lines (IEC-6, IEC-17, and IEC-18) as models, we have c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physiology: Gastrointestinal and liver physiology 1999-11, Vol.277 (5), p.G1027-G1040
Main Authors: Quaroni, Andrea, Tian, Jean Q., Göke, Michael, Podolsky, Daniel K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Glucocorticoids have long been known to accelerate maturation of the intestinal tract, but the molecular mechanisms that account for their physiological function in the epithelium remain poorly characterized. Using rat intestinal epithelial cell lines (IEC-6, IEC-17, and IEC-18) as models, we have characterized glucocorticoid receptors in crypt cells and documented striking morphological, ultrastructural, and functional alterations induced by these hormones in intestinal cells. They include arrest of growth, formation of tight junctions, appearance of long, slender microvilli, reorganization of the endoplasmic reticulum and trans-Golgi network, and downregulation of the cell cycle regulatory proteins cyclin-dependent kinase 6 and p27 Kip1 . These effects are consistent with the activation or modulation of multiple genes important in the physiological function of absorptive villous cells but are probably not directly involved in the induction of cell differentiation.
ISSN:0193-1857
1522-1547
DOI:10.1152/ajpgi.1999.277.5.G1027