Intestinal cells surprisingly active in pursuit of nutrition and defence
Monday, June 29, 2009 - 09:21
in Biology & Nature
Every cell lining the small intestine bristles with thousands of tightly packed microvilli that project into the gut lumen, forming a brush border that absorbs nutrients and protects the body from intestinal bacteria. In the 29 June issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org), Matthew McConnell, Matthew Tyska, and colleagues now find that microvilli extend their functional reach even further using a molecular motor to send vesicles packed with gut enzymes out into the lumen to get a head start on breaking down their substrates...