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Identifying Types of Neurons in the Human Colonic Enteric Nervous System

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The Enteric Nervous System II

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

Abstract

Distinguishing and characterising the different classes of neurons that make up a neural circuit has been a long-term goal for many neuroscientists. The enteric nervous system is a large but moderately simple part of the nervous system. Enteric neurons in laboratory animals have been extensively characterised morphologically, electrophysiologically, by projections and immunohistochemically. However, studies of human enteric nervous system are less advanced despite the potential availability of tissue from elective surgery (with appropriate ethics permits). Recent studies using single cell sequencing have confirmed and extended the classification of enteric neurons in mice and human, but it is not clear whether an encompassing classification has been achieved. We present preliminary data on a means to distinguish classes of myenteric neurons in specimens of human colon combining immunohistochemical, morphological, projection and size data on single cells. A method to apply multiple layers of antisera to specimens was developed, allowing up to 12 markers to be characterised in individual neurons. Applied to multi-axonal Dogiel type II neurons, this approach demonstrated that they constitute fewer than 5% of myenteric neurons, are nearly all immunoreactive for choline acetyltransferase and tachykinins. Many express the calcium-binding proteins calbindin and calretinin and they are larger than average myenteric cells. This methodology provides a complementary approach to single-cell mRNA profiling to provide a comprehensive account of the types of myenteric neurons in the human colon.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by an NIH SPARC program grant to a consortium led by Professor Yvette Tache, of UCLA #1OT2OD24899-01.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Physiology, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, USA

    Simon Brookes, Nan Chen, Adam Humenick, Marcello Costa, Phil Dinning, Paul Heitmann, Dominic Parker, David Smolilo, Nick J. Spencer & David Wattchow

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  1. Simon Brookes
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  2. Nan Chen
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  3. Adam Humenick
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  4. Marcello Costa
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  5. Phil Dinning
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  6. Paul Heitmann
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  7. Dominic Parker
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  8. David Smolilo
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  9. Nick J. Spencer
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  10. David Wattchow
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Correspondence to Simon Brookes .

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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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Brookes, S. et al. (2022). Identifying Types of Neurons in the Human Colonic Enteric Nervous System. 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_23

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