Luminal sensing in the gut: an overview.

The wall of the gut responds to an impressive array of signals originating in the lumen, including nutrient and non-nutrient chemicals, mechanical factors, and micro-organisms. The idea that the gut wall exhibits luminal chemo-sensitivity is implied in the original discovery of secretin by Bayliss and Starling, and has become an integral part of models of neurohumoral control of gastrointestinal function. Entero-endocrine cells are specialised for luminal nutrient sensing but sub-epithelial nerve fibres may also respond to luminal chemicals that freely diffuse across the epithelium eg short chain fatty acids. The molecular recognition mechanisms include G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) eg the extracellular Ca(2+) sensing receptor which also responds to aromatic amino acids. There are also GPCRs sensing fatty acids, as well as bitter or noxious compounds. In addition, though, gating of ion channels including events secondary to energy availability eg ATP, may be involved in sensing some luminal chemicals. There is likely to be integration of luminal signals at several levels including at the level of entero-endocrine cells and at sub-epithelial nerve fibers. For example, the intestinal hormone CCK acts on primary afferent nerve fibers of the vagal trunk. The same fibers also express leptin receptors that are thought to respond to leptin released from gastric chief cells, orexin receptors (activation of which inhibits CCK) and possibly ghrelin receptors. Multiple signalling mechanisms allow specific responses to be matched to meals of differing content.