title: Enteric neurons from postnatal Fgf2 knockout mice differ in neurite outgrowth responses.
abstract: The enteric nervous system (ENS) consists of several neuronal subclasses with distinct functional properties. The formation and maintenance of these distinct populations during development and aging is dependent on the support of appropriate neurotrophic factors. During early postnatal development, the ENS has to adept continuously to changing alimentation situations, which might also affect neuronal maturation and differentiation. There is evidence that basic-fibroblast-growth-factor (Fgf2) exerts neurotrophic effects in the ENS. In this study primary myenteric plexus cultures from both wild type and Fgf2-knockout mice were investigated under the influence of Fgf2 and glial-cell-line-derived-factor (GDNF). It could be demonstrated, that the influence of neurotrophic support is decreased in the Fgf2-knockouts, while the neuronal cultures of wild type revealed a more pronounced receptiveness for trophic support. These data show that Fgf2 plays a role in the development of the ENS.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Pediatric Surgery, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany. cornelia.hagl@medma.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Hagl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wink
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heumüller-Klug
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wessel
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gretz
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Schäfer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000379:methods; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016501:Neurites / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2