Primary cell cultures of human antral endocrine cells have been developed and are used to examine the effect of selected secretagogues on the release of hormones such as gastrin. Studies are presently focused on G-protein involvement in the secretory process and the mechanism of action of calcium as a stimulant for gastrin release.

The autonomic nervous system influences enteric hormonal secretion through both intrinsic and extrinsic innervation. We are presently investigating the distribution and spatial organisation of both the gastric and duodenal innervation of the human intestine. Specific attention is given to the spatial arrangement between nerve terminals and gastric and enteric endocrine cells. Confocal microscopy is used to provide the images required to reconstruct specific regions of the immunostained sections. The reconstructions are used to examine the relationship of the peptidergic nerves and their cellular targets.

Buchan AMJ, Squires PE, Ring M, Meloche RM. Mechanism of action of the calcium-sensing receptor in human antral gastrin cells. Gastroenterol. 120:1128-39, 2001.

Lee PSN, Buchan AMJ, Hsueh A, Yuen BH, Leung PCK. Intracellular calcium mobilisation in response to the activation of human wild-type and chimeric gonadotrophin receptors. Endocrinology 143:1732-40, 2002

Buchan AMJ, Lin C-L, Choi J, Barber DL. Differential regulation of the small GTPase, Rho by somatostatin receptor subtypes SSTR-1 and SSTR-2. J. Biol. Chem.277:28431-8, 2002

Pamir N, Lynn FC, Buchan AMJ, Ehses J, Hinke SA, Pospisilik JA, Miyawaki K, Yamada Y, Seino Y, McIntoshCH, Pederson RA. Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Receptor Null Mice (GIPR-/-) Exhibit Compensatory Changes in the Enteroinsular Axis. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2003.

Backhed F, Rokbi B, Tortensson E, Zhao Y, Nilsson C, Seguin D, Normark S, Buchan AMJ, Rischter-Dahlfors A. Gastric mucosal recognition of Helicobacter pylori is independent of Toll-like receptor 4. J. Inf. Dis. 203: 829-36, 2003

Persaud SJ, Jones PM, Roderigo-Milne HM, Buchan AMJ, Squires PE. Calcium-dependent translocation of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) in pancreatic beta-cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003;300:889-93.

Conlin VS, Curtis SB, Zhao Y, Moore EDW, Smith VC, Meloche RM, Finlay BB & Buchan AMJ. Helicobacter pylori infection targets adherens junction regulatory proteins and results in increased rates of migration in human gastric epithelial cells. Infect Immun. 72(9):5181-92, 2004.  Data for Tables 2 & 3

Curtis SB & Buchan AMJ. Primary culture of human antral endocrine and epithelial cells. Methods Mol. Med. 107:313-24, 2004.

Gastrin in the New Millennium (Merchant JL, Buchan AMJ & Wang TC, eds) CURE Foundation 2004.

Boyer L, Ghoreishi M, Templeman V, Vallance BA, Buchan AMJ, Jevon G & Jacobson K. Myenteric plexus injury and apoptosis in experimental colitis. Auton. Neurosci. 117:41-53, 2005.