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The gut supports neurogenic differentiation of periocular mesenchyme, a chondrogenic neural crest-derived cell
Insights
Periocular mesenchyme (PM) cells can form neurons when exposed to the gut environment. This study shows the gut can direct neurogenesis in PM cells, which normally do not produce neurons.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Stem cell research
Background:
- Periocular mesenchyme (PM) cells are derived from mesencephalic neural crest cells and contribute to avian eye scleral cartilage formation.
- Enteric neurons originate from vagal crest cells and populate the gut.
- The factors regulating neuronal differentiation in neural crest-derived cells are of significant interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the gut microenvironment can induce neurogenesis in periocular mesenchyme (PM) cells.
- To determine if PM cells, which do not typically form neurons in vivo, can be directed to differentiate into neurons by gut-derived factors.
Main Methods:
- Culturing PM cells with aneural chick hindgut on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM).
- Analyzing PM cell differentiation and neuronal marker expression using immunohistochemistry.
- Comparing PM cells cultured with hindgut to control PM cells cultured alone.
Main Results:
- PM cells co-cultured with hindgut invaded the gut and formed numerous neurons within enteric ganglia.
- These induced neurons exhibited neurofilament, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and somatostatin immunoreactivity.
- Control PM cells cultured alone showed limited neurofilament immunoreactivity and lacked mature neuronal morphology.
Conclusions:
- The gut microenvironment possesses the capacity to induce neuronal differentiation in periocular mesenchyme (PM) cells.
- This suggests that extrinsic factors within the gut can reprogram PM cells towards a neuronal fate.
- These findings provide insights into the plasticity of neural crest-derived cells and the inductive signals governing neurogenesis.
Abstract:
Periocular mesenchyme (PM) is a mesencephalic neural crest derived cell population which as a result of an interaction with the retinal pigment epithelium forms the scleral cartilage of the avian eye. Enteric neurons are derived from vagal crest cells which invade the gut. To study factors which regulate neuronal differentiation, we investigated whether the gut could direct neurogenesis in PM, a cell population that does not produce neurons in vivo. We report here that PM cultured in the presence of aneural chick hindgut on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), invaded the gut and formed large numbers of neurons. These were localized in enteric ganglia and contained neurofilament immunoreactivity, vasoactive intestinal peptide immunoreactivity, and somatostatin immunoreactivity. In the control PM cultured alone on the CAM, a small number of cells contained neurofilament immunoreactivity but lacked the appearance of mature neurons.