Cell differentiation in the gastric epithelium of rats: evaluation of corticosterone action

• Grant number: 10/03076-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2011
• End date: September 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Patrícia Gama
• Grantee: Juliana Guimarães Zulian
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The corpus region of the stomach is covered by mucous surface and neck cells, parietal, zymogenic (or chief) and endocrinal cells. In the rat, all these cell types mature during the 3rd postnatal week, which is also a period of dietary transition. Recent studies suggest that mucous neck cells are markers of cellular differentiation in the gastric epithelium. They are small, and triangular, and produce mucin6, which is a glycoprotein of high molecular weight. Our team has been studying how maternal milk and dietary transition can take part of the control of gastric growth. Whereas weaning represents the gradual change from suckling to solid food, early weaning constitutes an experimental model in which suckling is substituted by semi-solid and solid diet from the 15th day onwards. Such abrupt change induces mucous neck cell differentiation, stresses the pups and induces high corticosterone levels. This hormone can direct or indirectly regulate the steps that lead to gastric growth and maturation. Thus, because we know that early weaning accelerates cellular differentiation in the gastric mucosa and that this process can be mediated by corticosterone, our aim is to investigate how this steroid acts over mucous neck cells. To that, we will evaluate how the inhibition of corticosterone activity through RU- 38486 prevents or retards the differentiation of this cell population in early-weaned rats. Technically, we will use histochemistry for glycoproteins with GSII and PAS-AB, imunohistochemistry for Mist1 (a protein that labels transition and differentiation), and RT-PCR for mucin 6.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ZULIAN, JULIANA GUIMARAES; MASSARENTI HOSOYA, LARISSA YUKARI; FIGUEIREDO, PRISCILA MOREIRA; OGIAS, DANIELA; OSAKI, LUCIANA HARUMI; GAMA, PATRICIA. Corticosterone activity during early weaning reprograms molecular markers in rat gastric secretory cells. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 7, MAR 31 2017. (13/18459-0, 11/17415-3, 14/21449-9, 10/03076-0)

OGIAS, DANIELA; RATTES, ISADORA C.; HOSOYA, LARISSA Y. M.; ZULIAN, JULIANA G.; YAN, CHAO YUN IRENE; GAMA, PATRICIA. Neonatal- maternal separation primes zymogenic cells in the rat gastric mucosa through glucocorticoid receptor activity. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 8, JUN 29 2018. (12/10948-9, 11/17415-3, 14/21449-9, 10/03076-0, 13/18459-0)