title: Exposure to GDNF Enhances the Ability of Enteric Neural Progenitors to Generate an Enteric Nervous System.
abstract: Cell therapy is a promising approach to generate an enteric nervous system (ENS) and treat enteric neuropathies. However, for translation to the clinic, it is highly likely that enteric neural progenitors will require manipulation prior to transplantation to enhance their ability to migrate and generate an ENS. In this study, we examine the effects of exposure to several factors on the ability of ENS progenitors, grown as enteric neurospheres, to migrate and generate an ENS. Exposure to glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) resulted in a 14-fold increase in neurosphere volume and a 12-fold increase in cell number. Following co-culture with embryonic gut or transplantation into the colon of postnatal mice in vivo, cells derived from GDNF-treated neurospheres showed a 2-fold increase in the distance migrated compared with controls. Our data show that the ability of enteric neurospheres to generate an ENS can be enhanced by exposure to appropriate factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; Cancer Program, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia. Electronic address: sonja.mckeown@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Sonja J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: McKeown
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Mitra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohsenipour
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Annette J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bergner
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia. Electronic address: lstamp@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lincon A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Stamp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
keywords: enteric nervous system; enteric neural crest; enteric neural progenitors; enteric neurospheres; migration; transplantation