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Enteroendocrine cells in the Echinodermata

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Abstract

Enteroendocrine cells are endocrine-like cells found in the luminal epithelia of the digestive tract. These cells have been described in most animal phyla. In echinoderms, the cells have been described mainly in organisms of the class Asteroidea (sea stars) and Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers). Here, we describe what is known about the enteroendocrine cells of the Echinodermata, including the cell types, their distribution in the digestive tract, their neuropeptide content and their regeneration and compare them to what has been found in other animal species, mainly in vertebrates. We also discuss the newly described view of enteroendocrine cells as chemical sensors of the intestinal lumen and provide some histological evidence that similar functions might be found within the echinoderms. Finally, we describe the temporal regeneration of the enteroendocrine cells in the holothurian intestine.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ms. Griselle Valentin for editorial help and the preparation of the figures.

Funding

This project was funded by NIH (Grant R15NS01686). We also acknowledge partial support from NIH R21AG057974 and the University of Puerto Rico.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rio Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, 00931, Puerto Rico

    José E. García-Arrarás, Monica Lefebre-Rivera & Sunny Qi-Huang

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  1. José E. García-Arrarás
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  2. Monica Lefebre-Rivera
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  3. Sunny Qi-Huang
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Correspondence to José E. García-Arrarás.

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García-Arrarás, J.E., Lefebre-Rivera, M. & Qi-Huang, S. Enteroendocrine cells in the Echinodermata. Cell Tissue Res 377, 459–467 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-019-03053-3

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