title: Neurotrophin-3 in the development of the enteric nervous system.
abstract: To date, the only neurotrophin that has been shown to influence the development of the enteric nervous system (ENS) is neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). NT-3 plays an essential role in the development of both the neural-crest-derived peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system (i.e., Chalazonitis, 1996, Mol. Neurobiol., 12: 39-53; Sieber-Blum, 1999, Neurotrophins and the Neural Crest, CRC Press, Boca Raton). This review integrates data obtained from our laboratory and from our collaboration with other investigators that demonstrate a late-acting role for NT-3 in the development of enteric neurons in vitro and in vivo. Studies of the biological actions of NT-3 on enteric neuronal precursors in vitro demonstrate that NT-3 acts directly on the precursor cells and that it also acts in combination with other neurotrophic factors such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and a ciliary neurotrophic factor-like molecule, to promote the survival and differentiation of enteric neurons and glia. Importantly, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and BMP-4, members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, regulate the onset of action of NT-3 during fetal gut development. Analyzes performed on mice deficient in the genes encoding NT-3 or its transducing tyrosine kinase receptor, TrkC, and conversely on transgenic mice that overexpress NT-3 substantiate a physiological role for NT-3 in the development and maintenance of a subset of enteric neurons. There is loss of neurons in both the myenteric and submucosal plexuses of mice lacking NT-3/TrkC signaling and selective hyperplasia in the myenteric plexus of mice overexpressing NT-3. Analyzes performed on transgenic mice that overexpress noggin, a specific BMP-4 antagonist, show significant decreases in the density of TrkC-expressing neurons but significant increase in overall neuronal density of both plexuses. Conversely, overexpression of BMP-4 is sufficient to produce, an increase in the proportion of TrkC-expressing neurons in both plexuses. Overall, our data point to a regulatory role of BMP-4 in the responses of subsets of myenteric and submucosal neurons to NT-3. NT-3 is required for the differentiation, maintenance and proper physiological function of late-developing enteric neurons that are important for the control of gut peristalsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630W, 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. ac83@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Alcmène
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chalazonitis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D020812:Receptor, trkC / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C525809:BMP4 protein, human; C525810:Bmp4 protein, mouse; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D020934:Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor; D015850:Interleukin-6; C507837:LIF protein, human; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; C507838:Lif protein, mouse; D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D020812:Receptor, trkC