title: The sacral autonomic outflow is sympathetic.
abstract: A kinship between cranial and pelvic visceral nerves of vertebrates has been accepted for a century. Accordingly, sacral preganglionic neurons are considered parasympathetic, as are their targets in the pelvic ganglia that prominently control rectal, bladder, and genital functions. Here, we uncover 15 phenotypic and ontogenetic features that distinguish pre- and postganglionic neurons of the cranial parasympathetic outflow from those of the thoracolumbar sympathetic outflow in mice. By every single one, the sacral outflow is indistinguishable from the thoracolumbar outflow. Thus, the parasympathetic nervous system receives input from cranial nerves exclusively and the sympathetic nervous system from spinal nerves, thoracic to sacral inclusively. This simplified, bipartite architecture offers a new framework to understand pelvic neurophysiology as well as development and evolution of the autonomic nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), INSERM, CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005 France.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Espinosa-Medina
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), INSERM, CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005 France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), INSERM, CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005 France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boismoreau
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), INSERM, CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005 France.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chettouh
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), INSERM, CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005 France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), INSERM, CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005 France. jfbrunet@biologie.ens.fr.
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Brunet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D010388:Pelvis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology / Q000294:innervation; D012447:Sacrum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology / Q000294:innervation*; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000502:physiology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D013909:Thorax / Q000294:innervation; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D050494:Vesicular Acetylcholine Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C493460:Slc18a3 protein, mouse; D050494:Vesicular Acetylcholine Transport Proteins; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I