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Published on: April 27, 2014
Agrin becomes concentrated at neuroeffector junctions in developing rodent urinary bladder.
J Gingras1, J Spicer, M Altares
1Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3G 1A4.
Agrin, a protein crucial for nerve-muscle connections, is found at developing urinary bladder junctions. This suggests agrin may regulate autonomic neuroeffector junctions in smooth muscle.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Smooth Muscle Physiology
Background:
- Agrin regulates somatic neuromuscular junction formation.
- The role of agrin in autonomic neuroeffector junctions is largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate agrin expression and localization during rodent urinary bladder development.
- To explore the potential role of agrin in autonomic neuroeffector junctions.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry to detect agrin localization.
- Reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to analyze agrin splice variants.
Main Results:
- Agrin is expressed on smooth muscle cells and in the urothelial basement membrane.
- Agrin concentrates at parasympathetic varicosities during postnatal development.
- Specific agrin splice variants (LN/z8 and LN/z-) are expressed by bladder neurons and smooth muscle, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Agrin localizes to cholinergic parasympathetic varicosities in the bladder.
- Agrin may play a role in the maturation of autonomic neuroeffector junctions in smooth muscle.
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