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Dissection and Explant Culture of Murine Allantois for the In Vitro Analysis of Allantoic Attachment
Published on: January 13, 2018
Developmental characteristics of the kitten antrum
A C Hillemeier1, K N Bitar, P Biancani
1C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Gastroenterology
|August 1, 1991
Summary
As kittens mature, their stomach antral cells develop increased reliance on extracellular calcium for acetylcholine-induced contractions. Fundic cells, however, consistently utilize intracellular calcium stores for muscle contraction.
Area of Science:
- Gastrointestinal Physiology
- Smooth Muscle Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Dietary changes during development shift the digestive burden to the antrum, requiring solid food trituration.
- Acetylcholine mediates smooth muscle contraction, but developmental differences in its pathways are hypothesized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-dependent differences in acetylcholine-mediated smooth muscle cell contraction pathways in feline fundus and antrum.
- To determine the roles of extracellular and intracellular calcium in mediating these contractions.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of smooth muscle cells from adult cat and kitten fundus and antrum via collagenase digestion.
- Assessment of cell contraction in response to acetylcholine under varying calcium conditions (normal, calcium-free, calcium channel blocker).
- Evaluation of contraction response to 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate after cell permeabilization.
Main Results:
- Fundic cells from both age groups utilized intracellular calcium stores for acetylcholine and inositol trisphosphate-induced contractions.
- Adult antral cells showed reduced contraction in calcium-free solution and required both extracellular calcium influx and intracellular calcium release.
- Kitten antral cells demonstrated a complete lack of contraction in calcium-free conditions, indicating a developmental dependence on extracellular calcium.
Conclusions:
- Fundic muscle cells rely on intracellular calcium stores for contraction across development.
- Antral muscle cell contraction mechanisms mature significantly, shifting from intracellular to extracellular calcium dependence from kittenhood to adulthood.
- These findings highlight developmental adaptations in gastric smooth muscle signaling pathways.
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