title: Suppression of c-Kit signaling induces adult neurogenesis in the mouse intestine after myenteric plexus ablation with benzalkonium chloride.
abstract: Adult neurogenesis rarely occurs in the enteric nervous system (ENS). In this study, we demonstrated that, after intestinal myenteric plexus (MP) ablation with benzalkonium chloride (BAC), adult neurogenesis in the ENS was significantly induced in c-kit loss-of-function mutant mice (W/W(v)). Almost all neurons and fibers in the MP disappeared after BAC treatment. However, 1 week after ablation, substantial penetration of nerve fibers from the non-damaged area was observed in the MP, longitudinal muscle and subserosal layers in both wildtype and W/W(v) mice. Two weeks after BAC treatment, in addition to the penetrating fibers, a substantial number of ectopic neurons appeared in the subserosal and longitudinal muscle layers of W/W(v) mice, whereas only a few ectopic neurons appeared in wildtype mice. Such ectopic neurons expressed either excitatory or inhibitory intrinsic motor neuron markers and formed ganglion-like structures, including glial cells, synaptic vesicles and basal lamina. Furthermore, oral administration of imatinib, an inhibitor of c-Kit and an anticancer agent for gastrointestinal stromal tumors, markedly induced appearance of ectopic neurons after BAC treatment, even in wildtype mice. These results suggest that adult neurogenesis in the ENS is negatively regulated by c-Kit signaling in vivo.
authors: Department of Functional Anatomy &Neuroscience, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumaicho, Showaku, Nagoya 466-8550 Japan.
authors: Hiromi
authors: H
authors: Tamada
authors: Department of Functional Anatomy &Neuroscience, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumaicho, Showaku, Nagoya 466-8550 Japan.
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Kiyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D007082:Ileum / Q000294:innervation; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000073658:Loss of Function Mutation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000473:pathology; D009249:NADP / Q000032:analysis; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds; D009249:NADP; D000068877:Imatinib Mesylate; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit