Receptors and signaling in pancreatic acinar cells

Substantial progress continues to be made in our understanding of the molecular basis of stimulus-activity coupling in the pancreatic acinar cell, a classic model for the cell biology and physiology of a polarized epithelial cell. Specialized processes have evolved in this cell to provide for its critical role in nutrient homeostasis, as well as the potential dangers related to its content of potentially damaging enzymes. Details continue to accumulate relevant to the classic phospholipase C-mediated signaling in this cell, as well as adenylate cyclase-mediated events and pathways relevant to cell growth and metabolism. Increasing attention has also been directed toward the biochemical and molecular basis of vesicular movement, cytoskeletal integrity, exocytosis, and cell-cell communication relevant to these cells.