Summary
Various parts of the human gastrointestinal tract were investigated immunocytochemically for the occurrence of polypeptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP). PYY-immunoreactive cells were observed in the lower part of the ileum, in the colon and in the rectum, and PP-immunoreactive cells were found in the colon and rectum. Both cell types were of the open type, i.e. they extended from the basal lamina to the gut lumen. PYY-immunoreactive cells were seen to emit cytoplasmic processes to the neighbouring goblet cells. This latter observation suggests that PYY cells may exert a paracrine action on the mucussecreting goblet cells. Staining of consecutive thin plastic sections and staining of the same section simultaneously for two peptides showed that PYY-immunoreactivity did not occur in PP- or enteroglucagon-immunoreactive cells. On the ultrastructural level PYY-immunoreactivity was localized in basal granulated endocrine cells. These cells contained round or slightly oval electron dense granules with a mean diameter of 150 nm (range 100–300 nm).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Buffa R, Capella C, Fontana P, Usellini L, Solcia E (1978) Types of endocrine cells in the human colon and rectum. Cell Tissue Res 192:227–240
Buffa R, Grivelli O, Fiocca R, Fontana P, Solcia E (1979) Complement-mediated unspecific binding of immunoglobulins to some endocrine cells. Histochemistry 63:15–21
Coons AH, Leduc EH, Connolly JM (1955) Studies on antibody production. I. A method for the histochemical demonstration of specific antibody and its application to a study of hyperimmune rabbit. J Exp Med 102:49–63
Cristina ML, Lehy T, Zeiloun P, Dufougeray F (1978) Fine structural classification and comparative distribution of endocrine cells in normal human large intestine. Gastroenterology 75:20–28
Lechago J, Sun NCJ, Weinstein SM (1979) Simultaneous visualization of two antigens in the same tissue section by combining immunoperoxidase with immunofluorescence technique. J. Histochem Cytochem 27:1221–1225
Lehy T, Peranzi G, Cristina ML (1981) Correlating immunocytochemical and electron microscopic studies: Identification of entero (glucagon)-, somatostatin- and pancreatic polypeptide-like containing cells in the human colon. Histochemistry 71:67–80
Lundberg JM, Tatemoto K, Terenius L, Hellerström PM, Mutt V, Hökfelt T, Hemberger B (1982) Localization of the polypeptide YY (PYY) in gastrointestinal endocrine cells and effects on intestinal blood flow and motility. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 79:4471–4475
Mayor HD, Hampton JC, Rosario B (1961) A simple method for removing resin from epoxy embedded tissue. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 9:909–910
Sjölund K (1982) Gut neurohormonal peptides in health and disease. PhD Thesis, University of Lund, Sweden
Solcia E, Buffa R, Capella C, Fiocca R, Fontana P, Crivelli O (1980) Immunohistochemical characterization of gastroenteropancreatic endocrine cells and related multihormonal cells. Problems, pitfalls and facts. In: Miyoshi A (ed) Gut peptides: Secretion, function and clinical aspects. Elsevier/North Holland, Amsterdam, pp 303–309
Sternberger LA (1979) Immunocytochemistry, 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York
Tatemoto K, Mutt V (1980) Isolation of two novel candidate hormones using a chemical method for finding naturally occurring polypeptides. Nature 285:417–418
Tatemoto K, Lundberg JM, Terenius L, Mutt V (1982) New gut-brain peptides: Peptide YY and neuropeptide Y. Abstract presented at the 4th Int. Symp. Gastrointest. Horm., held in Stockholm, Sweden, 20–23 June, 1982
Wilander E, Portela-Gomes G, Grimelius L, Lundqvist G, Skoog V (1977) Enteroglucagon and substance P-like immunoreactivity in argentaffin and argyrophil rectal carcinoids. Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol 25:117–124
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
El-Salhy, M., Grimelius, L., Wilander, E. et al. Immunocytochemical identification of polypeptide YY (PYY) cells in the human gastrointestinal tract. Histochemistry 77, 15–23 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00496632
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00496632