UNSW Embryology

Gastrointestinal Tract - Stomach

© Dr Mark Hill (2008)

Acknowledgements

Introduction

This section of notes gives an overview of how the stomach and duodenum develops. The GIT is best imagined as a simple tube, the upper part being the foregut diverticulum, which is further divided into oesophagus and stomach.

During week 4 where the stomach will form the tube begins to dilate, forming an enlarged lumen in the tube. Dorsal border grows more rapidly than ventral, which establishes the greater curvature of the stomach. A second rotation (of 90 degrees) occurs on the longitudinal axis establishing the adult orientation of the stomach.

Page Links: Introduction | Some Recent Findings | Components of Stomach Formation | Stage 13/14 Stomach | Stage 22 Stomach | Greater Omentum | Duodenum/Pancreas Rotation | Stomach Development Movies | Stomach Hormonal Development | Abnormalities | References | WWW Links | Glossary

Some Recent Findings

Shin M, Noji S, Neubuser A, Yasugi S. FGF10 is required for cell proliferation and gland formation in the stomach epithelium of the chicken embryo. Dev Biol. 2006 Jun 1;294(1):11-23.

"The development of digestive organs in vertebrates involves active epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. In the chicken proventriculus (glandular stomach), the morphogenesis and cytodifferentiation of the epithelium are controlled by the inductive signaling factors that are secreted from the underlying mesenchyme. ... FGF10 signaling, mediated by FGFR1b and/or FGFR2b, is required for proliferation and gland formation in the epithelium in the developing chick embryo."

Components of Stomach Formation

Stage 13/14 Stomach

Sections from D2 to D7 downward. (viewed from beneath, top is right, bottom is left)	View through osophageal pyloric region at top of stomach. (base of R. and L. lung buds)	Beginning of stomach rotation. Broad dorsal mesogastrium, narrow ventral mesogastrium. Cavity beneath stomach is the omentum bursa.	Section through the body of the stomach. Dorsal mesogastrium beneath the omentum bursa will form greater omentum.
	Section through the body of the stomach.		Section at the stomach duodenal junction.

Stage 22 Stomach

Sections from E6 to D4 downward.		Note thick muscular wall of stomach body and change in lumen shape between pyloris and duodenum.
		See Labelled Movie of Stomach (sections E6-D5) (237 Kb) Unlabelled Movie (243 Kb)

Greater Omentum

The greater omentum hangs like an apron over the small intestine and transverse colon. It begins attacted to the inferior end of the stomach as a fold of the dorsal mesogastrium which later fuses to form the structure we recognise anatomically. The figure below shows a lateral view of this process comparing the early second trimester arrangement with the newborn structure. (More? GIT Folding)

Development of the greater omentum

Duodenum/Pancreas Rotation

After the stomach the initial portion of the GIT tube is the duodenum which initially lies in the midline within the peritoneal cavity, but then (along with the attached pancreas) undergoes rotation to become a retroperitoneal structure. (More? GIT Folding)

The diagram below shows this rotation with spinal cord at the top, vertebral body then dorsal aorta then pertioneal wall and cavity.

Rotation of the Duodenum

Stomach Development Movies

3D Model Movies

The following are links to 3D reconstruction animations of serial images of the gastrointestinal tract at an early and late embryonic stage. (More? 3D Model Movies)

Stage 13/14 Embryo: Gastrointestinal Tract

Stage 22 Embryo: Gastrointestinal Tract

Adult Stomach Position

Stomach Hormonal Development

The gastrointestinal tract has its own complex entero-endocrine system (enterohormones) that regulates many regional tract functions.

Cells within the stomach express a range of peptide hormones known to regulate a range of gastric functions including secretion of digestive enzymes, mucous and the movement of the luminal contents. The list below shows the earliest detectible presence of specific hormone-containing cells in regions of the developing human stomach.

8 weeks - Gastrin containing cells in stomach antrum. Somatostatin cells in both the antrum and the fundus.

10 weeks - Glucagon containing cells in stomach fundus.

11 weeks - Serotonin containing cells in both the antrum and the fundus.

(Data: Stein BA, Buchan AM, Morris J, Polak JM. The ontogeny of regulatory peptide-containing cells in the human fetal stomach: an immunocytochemical study. J Histochem Cytochem. 1983 Sep;31(9):1117-25.)

Other gut peptides: cholecystokinin (CCK), pancreatic polypeptide, peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), oxyntomodulin (increase satiety and decrease food intake) and ghrelin

Abnormalities

• Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
• duodenal atresia
• duodenal stenosis

References

Reviews

Fukuda K, Yasugi S. The molecular mechanisms of stomach development in vertebrates. Dev Growth Differ. 2005 Aug;47(6):375-82.

Yasugi S. Regulation of pepsinogen gene expression in epithelial cells of vertebrate stomach during development. Int J Dev Biol. 1994 Jun;38(2):273-9.

Johnson LR. Functional development of the stomach. Annu Rev Physiol. 1985;47:199-215.

Deren JS. Development of structure and function in the fetal and newborn stomach. Am J Clin Nutr. 1971 Jan;24(1):144-59.

Articles

Shin M, Noji S, Neubuser A, Yasugi S. FGF10 is required for cell proliferation and gland formation in the stomach epithelium of the chicken embryo. Dev Biol. 2006 Jun 1;294(1):11-23.

Yasugi S. Epithelial cell differentiation during stomach development. Hum Cell. 2000 Dec;13(4):177-84.

Search PubMed Now: stomach development

WWW Links

Indiana University animation showing Development of the Stomach, Omenta and Duodenum Discussion of the development of the stomach from the foregut, the omenta development from the mesenteries, and the rotational movements of the stomach and duodenum.(approx. 2 minutes)

Note: The dynamic nature of the web means that some Links over time change, it the above links no longer function search the web using the first bold term.

Glossary of Terms

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