PUBLICATION
Enteric nervous system development: A crest cell's journey from neural tube to colon
- Authors
- Nagy, N., Goldstein, A.M.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-170115-7
- Date
- 2017
- Source
- Seminars in cell & developmental biology 66: 94-106 (Review)
- Registered Authors
- Goldstein, Allan
- Keywords
- Enteric nervous system, Gut development, Hirschsprung disease, Neural crest
- MeSH Terms
-
- Enteric Nervous System/growth & development*
- Gastrointestinal Tract/growth & development*
- Humans
- PubMed
- 28087321 Full text @ Sem. Cell Dev. Biol.
Citation
Nagy, N., Goldstein, A.M. (2017) Enteric nervous system development: A crest cell's journey from neural tube to colon. Seminars in cell & developmental biology. 66:94-106.
Abstract
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is comprised of a network of neurons and glial cells that are responsible for coordinating many aspects of gastrointestinal (GI) function. These cells arise from the neural crest, migrate to the gut, and then continue their journey to colonize the entire length of the GI tract. Our understanding of the molecular and cellular events that regulate these processes has advanced significantly over the past several decades, in large part facilitated by the use of rodents, avians, and zebrafish as model systems to dissect the signals and pathways involved. These studies have highlighted the highly dynamic nature of ENS development and the importance of carefully balancing migration, proliferation, and differentiation of enteric neural crest-derived cells (ENCCs). Proliferation, in particular, is critically important as it drives cell density and speed of migration, both of which are important for ensuring complete colonization of the gut. However, proliferation must be tempered by differentiation among cells that have reached their final destination and are ready to send axonal extensions, connect to effector cells, and begin to produce neurotransmitters or other signals. Abnormalities in the normal processes guiding ENCC development can lead to failure of ENS formation, as occurs in Hirschsprung disease, in which the distal intestine remains aganglionic. This review summarizes our current understanding of the factors involved in early development of the ENS and discusses areas in need of further investigation.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping