title: Intercellular communication between dorsal root ganglion cells and colonic smooth muscle cells in vitro.
abstract: The mechanism(s) by which intestinal smooth muscle tension is signaled to extrinsic primary afferent neurons is poorly understood. In order to characterize myocyte-neuron communication, we developed a coculture system using rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and myocytes obtained from the circular muscle layer of the rat distal colon. Both cell types maintained their phenotype in culture, as demonstrated by positive immunocytochemical staining for neuron-specific enolase and smooth muscle actin. Myocytes showed mechanosensitivity in the form of increases in [Ca2+]i in response to light mechanical touch of the plasma membrane. This increase in [Ca2+]i was independent of extracellular Ca2+ and passed as a propagated wave from muscle cells into adjacent DRG neurites. The inhibitory effect of octanol on this intercellular propagation suggests propagation of [Ca2+]i gradients via heterologous gap junctions. This preparation may serve a useful model system for the study of the interaction of visceral afferents and their target cells.
authors.affiliation: CURE Digestive Diseases Research Center/Neuroenteric Biology Group, Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles 90024, USA.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Ennes
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Raybould
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D020003:1-Octanol; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002450:Cell Communication; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D003106:Colon / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D000442:Octanols / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000442:Octanols; D020003:1-Octanol; D002118:Calcium