Joel Castro

TL;DR: C cultured intestinal organoids are exploited together with single-cell measurements to elucidate intrinsic biophysical, pharmacological, and genetic properties of EC cells, showing that EC cells express specific chemosensory receptors, are electrically excitable, and modulate serotonin-sensitive primary afferent nerve fibers via synaptic connections, enabling them to detect and transduce environmental, metabolic, and homeostatic information from the gut directly to the nervous system.

TL;DR: This work identifies and characterize spider (Heteroscodra maculata) toxins that selectively activate the Nav1.1 subtype, and establishes an unexpected role for Nav 1.1 channels in regulating the excitability of sensory nerve fibres that mediate mechanical pain.

TL;DR: An analgesic mechanism of linaclotide is identified: it activates GC-C expressed on mucosal epithelial cells, resulting in the production and release of cGMP, which reduces nociception in patients with IBS-C.

TL;DR: The results indicate IBS patient subgroups would benefit from selective targeting of the immune system and distinct patterns of immune dysfunction and interaction with sensory pathways occur in different patient groups and through different intracellular pathways.