title: Immunohistochemical visualization of the nervous system in the porcine small intestine using antisera raised against the cytoskeletal proteins MAP1 and MAP2, in combination with neuropeptide immunocytochemistry.
abstract: This investigation was performed to determine whether antisera raised against microtubule-associated proteins, i.e. MAP1 and MAP2, may constitute an alternative to the silver-impregnation studies for the identification of the distinct morphological enteric neuronal cell types in the porcine small intestine. MAP1-immunostaining seems less suited since it preferentially stains the neuronal somata and axons and hardly permits to observe the dendritic processes. MAP2-immunostaining chiefly visualizes the perikaryal-dendritic domain and the proximal part of the axonal processes in the enteric neurons of the porcine gut. Hence, MAP2-immunostaining enables for the first time the unambiguous immunocytochemical identification of enteric multi(short)dendritic uniaxonal type I neurons. Double labelling techniques using antisera against MAP2 and substance P indicate that part of the type I neurons in the myenteric plexus of the porcine small intestine, which are taking part in an ascending pathway, are substance P-immunoreactive, whereas the substance P/neuromedin U-minineurons in the Meissner's plexus do not stain for MAP2. We may conclude that, although MAP2-immunostaining falls short of the quality achieved with silver-impregnation, the possibility to combine MAP2-immunostaining with neuropeptide immunocytochemistry to study the intestinal neurons has the advantage that part of the enteric neuron types stained with a distinct neurotransmitter or neuromodulator can be classified morphologically.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Histology and Microscopic Anatomy, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Scheuermann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stach
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Timmermans
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adriaensen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbiers
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murofushi
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: de Groodt-Lasseel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000737:chemistry / Q000294:innervation*; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000032:analysis; D013373:Substance P / Q000032:analysis; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D013373:Substance P