Circle of life of secretory vesicles in gastric enterochromaffin-like cells.

Enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells are neuroendocrine cells in the gastric epithelium characterized by numerous electron-empty, histamine-containing secretory vesicles. The antral hormone gastrin is the key stimulus of histamine secretion from this cell type, thereby controling acid secretion. Following receptor binding, gastrin activates a biphasic calcium signal in ECL cells that involves activation of inositol triphosphate receptors and calcium entry across the plasma membrane. Dihydropyridines block gastrin-induced histamine secretion. However, no depolarization was observed following stimulation with gastrin. Elevation of intracellular calcium by gastrin is an important prerequisite for exocytosis. In permeabilized ECL cells, addition of calcium results in histamine release, which can be inhibited by tetanus toxin and botulinum neurotoxin A, underlining the functional importance of the synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) and synaptobrevin. Immunocytochemistry also confirmed the presence of these SNAP receptor (SNARE) proteins, as well as synaptophysin, synaptotagmin, and syntaxin. Following 3-6 h of incubation in isolated cells, several transcription factors are induced by gastrin, such as ERK1/2, Sp1, and CRE. Gastrin thereby directly stimulates transcription of the vesicular monoamine transporter subtype 2 (VMAT-2) and chromogranins. Gene expression of histidine decarboxylase (HDC) appears to be stimulated by a putative "gastrin-responsive" element adjacent to the HDC exon 1 gene. ECL cells thereby share several similarities with adrenal chromaffin cells and neurons, but have their own functional properties. Gastrin coordinates secretion, synthesis, and storage by activating diverging signal transducers, leading to a functional synergy in this cell type.