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Developmental and Stress-Induced Remodeling of Cell–Cell Communication in the Adrenal Medullary Tissue

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Abstract

The adrenal medullary tissue contributes to maintain body homeostasis in reaction to stressful environmental changes via the release of catecholamines into the blood circulation in response to splanchnic nerve activation. Accordingly, chromaffin cell stimulus-secretion coupling undergoes temporally restricted periods of anatomo-functional remodeling in response to prevailing hormonal requirements of the organism. The postnatal development of the adrenal medulla and response to stress are remarkable physiological situations in which the stimulus-secretion coupling is critically affected. Catecholamine secretion from rat chromaffin cells is under a dual control involving an incoming initial command arising from the sympathetic nervous system that releases acetylcholine at the splanchnic nerve terminal-chromaffin cell synapses and a local gap junction-mediated intercellular communication. Interestingly, these two communication pathways are functionally interconnected within the gland and exhibit coordinated plasticity mechanisms. This article reviews the physiological and molecular evidence that the adrenal medullary tissue displays anatomical and functional adaptative remodeling of cell–cell communications upon physiological (postnatal development) and/or physiopathological (stress) situations associated with specific needs in circulating catecholamine levels.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer and Région Languedoc-Roussillon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrated Neurovascular Biology, CNRS UMR6214, Inserm U771, University of Angers, UFR Sciences Médicales, 1 rue Haute de Reculée, 49045, Angers Cedex 01, France

    Nathalie C. Guérineau

  2. Institute of Functional Genomics, CNRS UMR5203, Inserm U661, University of Montpellier, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34094, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Michel G. Desarménien

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  1. Nathalie C. Guérineau
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  2. Michel G. Desarménien
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Correspondence to Nathalie C. Guérineau.

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A commentary to this article can be found at doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9607-8.

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Guérineau, N.C., Desarménien, M.G. Developmental and Stress-Induced Remodeling of Cell–Cell Communication in the Adrenal Medullary Tissue. Cell Mol Neurobiol 30, 1425–1431 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-010-9583-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-010-9583-z

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