title: The gut microbiota keeps enteric glial cells on the move; prospective roles of the gut epithelium and immune system.
abstract: The enteric nervous system (ENS) coordinates the major functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Its development takes place within a constantly changing environment which, after birth, culminates in the establishment of a complex gut microbiota. How such changes affect ENS development and its subsequent function throughout life is an emerging field of study that holds great interest but which is inadequately explored thus far. In this addendum, we discuss our recent findings showing that a component of the ENS, the enteric glial cell network that resides in the gut lamina propria, develops after birth and parallels the evolution of the gut microbiota. Importantly, this network was found to be malleable throughout life by incorporating new cells that arrive from the area of the gut wall in a process of directional movement which was controlled by the lumen gut microbiota. Finally, we postulate on the roles of the intestinal epithelium and the immune system as potential intermediaries between gut microbiota and ENS responses.
authors.affiliation: a The Francis Crick Institute; The Ridgeway ; Mill Hill, London , UK.
authors.forename: Panagiotis S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Kabouridis
authors.affiliation: a The Francis Crick Institute; The Ridgeway ; Mill Hill, London , UK.
authors.forename: Reena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lasrado
authors.affiliation: a The Francis Crick Institute; The Ridgeway ; Mill Hill, London , UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McCallum
authors.affiliation: a The Francis Crick Institute; The Ridgeway ; Mill Hill, London , UK.|b Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and School of Biological Sciences; Nanyang Technological University ; Singapore , Singapore.|c Department of Microbiology ; Tumor and Cell Biology; Karolinska Institute ; Stockholm , Sweden.
authors.forename: Song Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chng
authors.affiliation: d UMC Utrecht; Center for Molecular Medicine ; Utrecht , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hugo J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Snippert
authors.affiliation: e Hubrecht Institute - KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht ; Utrecht , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Clevers
authors.affiliation: b Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and School of Biological Sciences; Nanyang Technological University ; Singapore , Singapore.|c Department of Microbiology ; Tumor and Cell Biology; Karolinska Institute ; Stockholm , Sweden.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.affiliation: a The Francis Crick Institute; The Ridgeway ; Mill Hill, London , UK.
authors.forename: Vassilis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pachnis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
keywords: TLRs; enteric glial cells; enteric nervous system; germ-free mice; gut immune system; gut microbiota; inflammation