Abstract
In the past years, it has become clear that the family of Mas-related G protein-coupled receptors plays a central role in neuro-immune communication at mucosal barrier surfaces, in particular in the skin. Remarkably, MRGPR expression at other mucosal surfaces remains poorly characterized. To fill this gap in our understanding, the present study was undertaken to screen and verify the expression of the human MRGPR family members in the mucosal biopsies of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Our findings revealed that, of all human MRGPRs family members, only MRGPRF mRNA is expressed at detectable levels in human mucosal biopsies of both terminal ileum and sigmoid colon. Furthermore, immunohistochemical stainings revealed that MRGPRF is specifically expressed by mucosal entero-endocrine cells (EECs). Overall, this study showed for the first time that the human ileum and colonic mucosa represent a novel expression site for the orphan MRGPRF, more specifically in EECs.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to Sofie Thys, Elien Theuns, Dominique De Rijck, and Danny Vindevogel for technical and administrative assistance.
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This study was supported by FWO grant G019314N to JPT.
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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the use of human samples were followed. All participants signed an informed consent and procedures were approved by the Ethical Committee of Antwerp University Hospital (study number B300201319443).
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Van Remoortel, S., Lambeets, L., De Schepper, H. et al. The orphan MRGPRF receptor is expressed in entero-endocrine cells of the human gut mucosa. Cell Tissue Res 393, 393–399 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-023-03797-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-023-03797-z