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Nitrergic and Purinergic Nerves in the Small Intestinal Myenteric Plexus and Circular Muscle of Mice and Guinea Pigs

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The Enteric Nervous System II

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1383))

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Abstract

ATP is an excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter, while nitric oxide (NO) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the enteric nervous system (ENS). We used a vesicular nucleotide transporter (SLC17A9, VNUT) antibody and a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) antibody to identify purinergic and nitrergic nerves in mouse and guinea ileum. Mouse: VNUT-immunoreactivity (ir) was detected in nerve fibers in myenteric ganglia and circular muscle. VNUT-ir fibers surrounded choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and calretinin-ir neurons. VNUT-ir nerve cell bodies were not detected. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-ir nerves were detected in myenteric ganglia and the tertiary plexus. Guinea pig: VNUT-ir was detected in neurons and nerves fibers and did not overlap with NOS-ir nerve fibers. VNUT-ir was detected in nerve fibers in ganglia but not nerve cell bodies. VNUT-ir nerve fibers surrounded NOS-ir and NOS− neurons. NOS-ir and VNUT-ir nerve fibers did not overlap in myenteric ganglia or circular muscle. VNUT-ir nerves surrounded some ChAT-ir neurons. VNUT-ir and ChAT-ir were detected in separate nerves in the CM. VNUT-ir nerve fibers surrounded calretinin-ir neurons.

Conclusions: VNUT-ir neurons likely mediate purinergic signaling in small intestinal myenteric ganglia and circular muscle. ATP and NO are likely released from different inhibitory motorneurons. VNUT-ir and ChAT-ir interneurons mediate cholinergic and purinergic synaptic transmission in the myenteric plexus.

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Funding

This project was funded by the National Institutes of Digestive Diseases and Kidney (NIDDK) Grant #R01 DK121272.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Alberto Perez-Medina & James J. Galligan

  2. The Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    James J. Galligan

Authors
  1. Alberto Perez-Medina
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  2. James J. Galligan
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Correspondence to James J. Galligan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine & Public Health Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Nick J. Spencer

  2. College of Medicine & Public Health Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Marcello Costa

  3. South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Stuart M. Brierley

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Perez-Medina, A., Galligan, J.J. (2022). Nitrergic and Purinergic Nerves in the Small Intestinal Myenteric Plexus and Circular Muscle of Mice and Guinea Pigs. In: Spencer, N.J., Costa, M., Brierley, S.M. (eds) The Enteric Nervous System II. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1383. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05843-1_4

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