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Heterogeneity of neuromuscular junctions in striated muscle of human esophagus demonstrated by triple staining for the vesicular acetylcholine transporter, α-bungarotoxin, and acetylcholinesterase

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Abstract

During studies on enteric co-innervation in the human esophagus, we found that not all acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-positive motor endplates stained for α-bungarotoxin (α-BT) and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), respectively. Therefore, we probed for differences in neuromuscular junctions in human esophagus by using triple staining for VAChT, α-BT, and AChE followed by qualitative and quantitative analysis. To exclude that the results were caused by processing artifacts, we additionally examined the influence of a number of factors including post-mortem changes and the type and duration of fixation on the staining results. Four types of neuromuscular junction could be distinguished in human esophagus: type I with VAChT-positive and type II with VAChT-negative nerve terminals on a α-BT-positive and AChE-positive endplate area, type III with VAChT-positive nerve terminals on a α-BT-negative but AChE-positive endplate area, and type IV with VAChT-negative nerve terminals on a α-BT-negative but AChE-positive endplate area. On average, 32% of evaluated AChE-positive motor endplates were type I, 6% type II, 24% type III, and 38% type IV. Based on these results, we suggest that, in human esophagus, (1) the most reliable method for staining motor endplates is presently AChE histochemistry, (2) α-BT-sensitive and α-BT-resistant nicotinic acetylcholine receptors exist in neuromuscular junctions, and (3) different types of VAChT or transport mechanisms for acetylcholine probably exist in neuromuscular junctions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Anita Hecht and Karin Löschner for expert technical assistance and to Tony Simpson and Anne Stab for providing esophagi following autopsies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Anatomy, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Krankenhausstrasse 9, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Bernd Kallmünzer, Björn Sörensen, Winfried L. Neuhuber & Jürgen Wörl

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  1. Bernd Kallmünzer
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  2. Björn Sörensen
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  3. Winfried L. Neuhuber
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  4. Jürgen Wörl
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Correspondence to Jürgen Wörl.

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This study was supported by the “Johannes und Frieda Marohn-Stiftung”, Erlangen.

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Kallmünzer, B., Sörensen, B., Neuhuber, W.L. et al. Heterogeneity of neuromuscular junctions in striated muscle of human esophagus demonstrated by triple staining for the vesicular acetylcholine transporter, α-bungarotoxin, and acetylcholinesterase. Cell Tissue Res 324, 181–188 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-005-0154-4

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