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5-HT4 receptor-mediated neuroprotection and neurogenesis in the enteric nervous system of adult mice.

ABSTRACT: Although the mature enteric nervous system (ENS) has been shown to retain stem cells, enteric neurogenesis has not previously been demonstrated in adults. The relative number of enteric neurons in wild-type (WT) mice and those lacking 5-HT(4) receptors [knock-out (KO)] was found to be similar at birth; however, the abundance of ENS neurons increased during the first 4 months after birth in WT but not KO littermates. Enteric neurons subsequently decreased in both WT and KO but at 12 months were significantly more numerous in WT. We tested the hypothesis that stimulation of the 5-HT(4) receptor promotes enteric neuron survival and/or neurogenesis. In vitro, 5-HT(4) agonists increased enteric neuronal development/survival, decreased apoptosis, and activated CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein). In vivo, in WT but not KO mice, 5-HT(4) agonists induced bromodeoxyuridine incorporation into cells that expressed markers of neurons (HuC/D, doublecortin), neural precursors (Sox10, nestin, Phox2b), or stem cells (Musashi-1). This is the first demonstration of adult enteric neurogenesis; our results suggest that 5-HT(4) receptors are required postnatally for ENS growth and maintenance.

SUBMITTER: Liu MT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2749879 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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5-HT4 receptor-mediated neuroprotection and neurogenesis in the enteric nervous system of adult mice.

Liu Min-Tsai MT Kuan Yung-Hui YH Wang Jingwen J Hen René R Gershon Michael D MD

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 20090801 31

Although the mature enteric nervous system (ENS) has been shown to retain stem cells, enteric neurogenesis has not previously been demonstrated in adults. The relative number of enteric neurons in wild-type (WT) mice and those lacking 5-HT(4) receptors [knock-out (KO)] was found to be similar at birth; however, the abundance of ENS neurons increased during the first 4 months after birth in WT but not KO littermates. Enteric neurons subsequently decreased in both WT and KO but at 12 months were s ...[more]

PMID: 19657021

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Project description:Background & aimsThe enteric nervous system (ENS) exists in close proximity to luminal bacteria. Intestinal microbes regulate ENS development, but little is known about their effects on adult enteric neurons. We investigated whether intestinal bacteria or their products affect the adult ENS via toll-like receptors (TLRs) in mice.MethodsWe performed studies with conventional C57/BL6, germ-free C57/BL6, Nestin-creERT2:tdTomato, Nestin-GFP, and ChAT-cre:tdTomato. Mice were given drinking water with ampicillin or without (controls). Germ-free mice were given drinking water with TLR2 agonist or without (controls). Some mice were given a blocking antibody against TLR2 or a TLR4 inhibitor. We performed whole gut transit, bead latency, and geometric center studies. Feces were collected and analyzed by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus (LMMP) tissues were collected, analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and levels of nitric oxide were measured. Cells were isolated from colonic LMMP of Nestin-creERT2:tdTomato mice and incubated with agonists of TLR2 (receptor for gram-positive bacteria), TLR4 (receptor for gram-negative bacteria), or distilled water (control) and analyzed by flow cytometry.ResultsStool from mice given ampicillin had altered composition of gut microbiota with reduced abundance of gram-positive bacteria and increased abundance of gram-negative bacteria, compared with mice given only water. Mice given ampicillin had reduced colon motility compared with mice given only water, and their colonic LMMP had reduced numbers of nitrergic neurons, reduced neuronal nitric oxide synthase production, and reduced colonic neurogenesis. Numbers of colonic myenteric neurons increased after mice were switched from ampicillin to plain water, with increased markers of neurogenesis. Nestin-positive enteric neural precursor cells expressed TLR2 and TLR4. In cells isolated from the colonic LMMP, incubation with the TLR2 agonist increased the percentage of neurons originating from enteric neural precursor cells to approximately 10%, compared with approximately 0.01% in cells incubated with the TLR4 agonist or distilled water. Mice given an antibody against TLR2 had prolonged whole gut transit times; their colonic LMMP had reduced total neurons and a smaller proportion of nitrergic neurons per ganglion, and reduced markers of neurogenesis compared with mice given saline. Colonic LMMP of mice given the TLR4 inhibitor did not have reduced markers of neurogenesis. Colonic LMMP of germ-free mice given TLR2 agonist had increased neuronal numbers compared with control germ-free mice.ConclusionsIn the adult mouse colon, TLR2 promotes colonic neurogenesis, regulated by intestinal bacteria. Our findings indicate that colonic microbiota help maintain the adult ENS via a specific signaling pathway. Pharmacologic and probiotic approaches directed towards specific TLR2 signaling processes might be developed for treatment of colonic motility disorders related to use of antibiotics or other factors.

Project description:The enteric nervous system (ENS) regulates the motor, secretory and defensive functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Enteric neurons integrate mechanical and chemical inputs from the gut lumen to generate complex motor outputs. How intact enteric neural circuits respond to changes in the gut lumen is not well understood. We recorded intracellular calcium in live-cell confocal recordings in neurons from intact segments of mouse intestine in order to investigate neuronal response to luminal mechanical and chemical stimuli. Wnt1-, ChAT- and Calb1-GCaMP6 mice were used to record neurons from the jejunum and colon. We measured neuronal calcium response to KCl (75 mM), veratridine (10 μM), 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium (DMPP; 100 μM) or luminal nutrients (Ensure®), in the presence or absence of intraluminal distension. In the jejunum and colon, distension generated by the presence of luminal content (chyme and faecal pellets, respectively) renders the underlying enteric circuit unresponsive to depolarizing stimuli. In the distal colon, high levels of distension inhibit neuronal response to KCl, while intermediate levels of distension reorganize Ca2+ response in circumferentially propagating slow waves. Mechanosensitive channel inhibition suppresses distension-induced Ca2+ elevations, and calcium-activated potassium channel inhibition restores neuronal response to KCl, but not DMPP in the distended colon. In the jejunum, distension prevents a previously unknown tetrodotoxin-resistant neuronal response to luminal nutrient stimulation. Our results demonstrate that intestinal distension regulates the excitability of ENS circuits via mechanosensitive channels. Physiological levels of distension locally silence or synchronize neurons, dynamically regulating the excitability of enteric neural circuits based on the content of the intestinal lumen. KEY POINTS: How the enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract responds to luminal distension remains to be fully elucidated. Here it is shown that intestinal distension modifies intracellular calcium levels in the underlying enteric neuronal network, locally and reversibly silencing neurons in the distended regions. In the distal colon, luminal distension is integrated by specific mechanosensitive channels and coordinates the dynamics of neuronal activation within the enteric network. In the jejunum, distension suppresses the neuronal calcium responses induced by luminal nutrients. Physiological levels of distension dynamically regulate the excitability of enteric neuronal circuits.

Dataset Information

5-HT4 receptor-mediated neuroprotection and neurogenesis in the enteric nervous system of adult mice.

Publications

5-HT4 receptor-mediated neuroprotection and neurogenesis in the enteric nervous system of adult mice.

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