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Control of the digestive system is also maintained by ENS, which can be thought of as a digestive brain that can help to regulate motility, secretion and growth. Sensory information from the digestive system can be received, integrated and acted upon by the enteric system alone. When this occurs, the reflex is called a short reflex. [4]
Approximately 20,000 protein coding genes are expressed in human cells and 75% of these genes are expressed in at least one of the different parts of the digestive organ system. [ 25 ] [ 26 ] Over 600 of these genes are more specifically expressed in one or more parts of the GI tract and the corresponding proteins have functions related to ...
The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components, until they can be absorbed and assimilated into the body.
Subsets of sensory intestinal epithelial cells synapse with nerves, [9] and are known as neuropod cells. [10] Paneth cells produce antimicrobial peptides such as human alpha-defensin. [11] [12] Microfold cells (commonly referred to as M cells) sample antigens from the lumen and deliver them to the lymphoid tissue associated with the mucosa (MALT).
Goblet cells secrete mucus, which lubricates the passage of food along and protects the intestinal wall from digestive enzymes. In the small intestine, villi are folds of the mucosa that increase the surface area of the intestine. The villi contain a lacteal, a vessel connected to the lymph system that aids in the removal of lipids and tissue ...
The Human Cell Atlas project, which started in 2016, had as one of its goals to "catalog all cell types (for example, immune cells or brain cells) and sub-types in the human body". [13] By 2018, the Human Cell Atlas description based the project on the assumption that "our characterization of the hundreds of types and subtypes of cells in the ...
Enteroendocrine cells are specialized cells of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas with endocrine function. They produce gastrointestinal hormones or peptides in response to various stimuli and release them into the bloodstream for systemic effect, diffuse them as local messengers, or transmit them to the enteric nervous system to activate nervous responses.
Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are interstitial cells found in the gastrointestinal tract.There are different types of ICC with different functions. ICC and another type of interstitial cell, known as platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα) cells, are electrically coupled to smooth muscle cells via gap junctions, that work together as an SIP functional syncytium. [2]