Retinoic acid regulates murine enteric nervous system precursor proliferation, enhances neuronal precursor differentiation, and reduces neurite growth in vitro.

ABSTRACT: Enteric nervous system (ENS) precursors undergo a complex process of cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation to form an integrated network of neurons and glia within the bowel wall. Although retinoids regulate ENS development, molecular and cellular mechanisms of retinoid effects on the ENS are not well understood. We hypothesized that retinoids might directly affect ENS precursor differentiation and proliferation, and tested that hypothesis using immunoselected fetal ENS precursors in primary culture. We now demonstrate that all retinoid receptors and many retinoid biosynthetic enzymes are present in the fetal bowel at about the time that migrating ENS precursors reach the distal bowel. We further demonstrate that retinoic acid (RA) enhances proliferation of subsets of ENS prec

SUBMITTER: Sato Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2586054 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature