The receptor tyrosine kinase Ret (c-Ret) transduces the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) signal, one of the neurotrophic factors related to the degeneration process or the regeneration activity of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The phosphorylation of several tyrosine residues of c-Ret seems to be altered in ALS. c-Ret is expressed in motor neurons and in...

The lethal spotted (ls) mouse has been used as a model for the human disorder Hirschsprung's disease, because as in the latter condition, ls/ls homozygotes are born without ganglion cells in their terminal colons and, without surgical intervention, die early as a consequence of intestinal obstruction. Previous studies have led to the conclusion that hereditary aganglionosis in ls/ls mice occurs...

TO THE EDITOR: I read with immense interest the fascinating article entitled “Anti-enteric neuronal antibodies and the irritable bowel syndrome” by Wood et al, which was published in January 2012 issue of Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. The authors have demonstrated that almost 90% of IBS patients exhibited positive anti-enteric neuronal antibodies which stained the nucleus and c...

Enteric neurons and glia cells were isolated from adult Sprague Dawley rats. A procedure is described using a combination of microdissection and mechanical dissociation after enzyme treatment which yields large numbers of cell clusters suitable for tissue culture and grafting into the injured spinal cord. Differentiated enteric ganglia remained viable for at least 5 days in vitro. Cultured neur...

The enteric nervous system is an independent nervous system that controls vital gut functions including motility and secretion. Enteric neurons use a variety of neurotransmitters to modulate neural as well as muscle and epithelial activity. Among them are three gaseous mediators which are nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S). All three have potent inhibitory effec...

Enteric nervous system neuropathy causes a wide range of severe gut motility disorders. Cell replacement of lost neurons using enteric neural stem cells (ENSC) is a possible therapy for these life-limiting disorders. Here we show rescue of gut motility after ENSC transplantation in a mouse model of human enteric neuropathy, the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS-/-) deficient mouse model, whi...

BACKGROUND Rhythmic behaviors are driven by endogenous biological clocks in pacemakers, which must reliably transmit timing information to target tissues that execute rhythmic outputs. During the defecation motor program in C. elegans, calcium oscillations in the pacemaker (intestine), which occur about every 50 s, trigger rhythmic enteric muscle contractions through downstream GABAergic neuron...

The actions of enteric 5-HT are terminated by 5-HT transporter (SERT)-mediated uptake, and gastrointestinal motility is abnormal in SERT -/- mice. We tested the hypothesis that adaptive changes in enteric 5-HT(3) receptors help SERT -/- mice survive despite inefficient 5-HT inactivation. Expression of mRNA encoding enteric 5-HT(3A) subunits was similar in SERT +/+ and -/- mice, but that of 5-HT...

Actions of ANG II on electrical and synaptic behavior of enteric neurons in the guinea pig small intestine were studied. Exposure to ANG II depolarized the membrane potential and elevated neuronal excitability. The number of responding neurons was small, with responses to ANG II in 32% of submucosal neurons and 25% of myenteric neurons. Hyperpolarizing responses were evoked by ANG II in 45% of ...

The enteric nervous system (ENS) derives from neural crest, which invade and migrate along the developing gut, proliferate extensively, and differentiate into neurons and glial cells organized as interconnected ganglia that control complex behaviours of the gut, such as peristalsis. While most ENS progenitors undergo differentiation, cells exhibiting properties of enteric progenitor cells (EPCs...