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Article

Structure of the Secretory Compartments in Goblet Cells in the Colon and Small Intestine

1
Department of Cell Biology, IFOM ETS—The AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello, 16, 20139 Milan, Italy
2
Department of Anatomy, Ivanovo State Medical University, 153012 Ivanovo, Russia
3
Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4a, 1, 20156 Milano, Italy
4
Independent Researcher, 8355 Station Village Ln., San Diego, CA 92108, USA
5
Development Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Cells 2025, 14(15), 1185; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14151185 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 March 2025 / Revised: 16 July 2025 / Accepted: 25 July 2025 / Published: 31 July 2025

Abstract

The Golgi of goblet cells represents a specialized machine for mucin glycosylation. This process occurs in a specialized form of the secretory pathway, which remains poorly examined. Here, using high-resolution three-dimensional electron microscopy (EM), EM tomography, serial block face scanning EM (SBF-SEM) and immune EM we analyzed the secretory pathway in goblet cells and revealed that COPII-coated buds on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are extremely rare. The ERES vesicles with dimensions typical for the COPII-dependent vesicles were not found. The Golgi is formed by a single cisterna organized in a spiral with characteristics of the cycloid surface. This ribbon has a shape of a cup with irregular perforations. The Golgi cup is filled with secretory granules (SGs) containing glycosylated mucins. Their diameter is close to 1 µm. The cup is connected with ER exit sites (ERESs) with temporal bead-like connections, which are observed mostly near the craters observed at the externally located cis surface of the cup. The craters represent conus-like cavities formed by aligned holes of gradually decreasing diameters through the first three Golgi cisternae. These craters are localized directly opposite the ERES. Clusters of the 52 nm vesicles are visible between Golgi cisternae and between SGs. The accumulation of mucin, started in the fourth cisternal layer, induces distensions of the cisternal lumen. The thickness of these distensions gradually increases in size through the next cisternal layers. The spherical distensions are observed at the edges of the Golgi cup, where they fuse with SGs and detach from the cisternae. After the fusion of SGs located just below the apical plasma membrane (APM) with APM, mucus is secreted. The content of this SG becomes less osmiophilic and the excessive surface area of the APM is formed. This membrane is eliminated through the detachment of bubbles filled with another SG and surrounded with a double membrane or by collapse of the empty SG and transformation of the double membrane lacking a visible lumen into multilayered organelles, which move to the cell basis and are secreted into the intercellular space where the processes of dendritic cells are localized. These data are evaluated from the point of view of existing models of intracellular transport.
Keywords: goblet cell; Golgi complex; ER exit site; diffusion model; intracellular transport; kiss-and-run model; secretory granule; Mucin; regulation secretion; multilamellar organelle goblet cell; Golgi complex; ER exit site; diffusion model; intracellular transport; kiss-and-run model; secretory granule; Mucin; regulation secretion; multilamellar organelle
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MDPI and ACS Style

Mironov, A.A.; Sesorova, I.S.; Vavilov, P.S.; Longoni, R.; Briata, P.; Gherzi, R.; Beznoussenko, G.V. Structure of the Secretory Compartments in Goblet Cells in the Colon and Small Intestine. Cells 2025, 14, 1185. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14151185

AMA Style

Mironov AA, Sesorova IS, Vavilov PS, Longoni R, Briata P, Gherzi R, Beznoussenko GV. Structure of the Secretory Compartments in Goblet Cells in the Colon and Small Intestine. Cells. 2025; 14(15):1185. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14151185

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mironov, Alexander A., Irina S. Sesorova, Pavel S. Vavilov, Roberto Longoni, Paola Briata, Roberto Gherzi, and Galina V. Beznoussenko. 2025. "Structure of the Secretory Compartments in Goblet Cells in the Colon and Small Intestine" Cells 14, no. 15: 1185. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14151185

APA Style

Mironov, A. A., Sesorova, I. S., Vavilov, P. S., Longoni, R., Briata, P., Gherzi, R., & Beznoussenko, G. V. (2025). Structure of the Secretory Compartments in Goblet Cells in the Colon and Small Intestine. Cells, 14(15), 1185. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14151185

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