Gas1 is a receptor for sonic hedgehog to repel enteric axons.

ABSTRACT: The myenteric plexus of the enteric nervous system controls the movement of smooth muscles in the gastrointestinal system. They extend their axons between two peripheral smooth muscle layers to form a tubular meshwork arborizing the gut wall. How a tubular axonal meshwork becomes established without invading centrally toward the gut epithelium has not been addressed. We provide evidence here that sonic hedgehog (Shh) secreted from the gut epithelium prevents central projections of enteric axons, thereby forcing their peripheral tubular distribution. Exclusion of enteric central projections by Shh requires its binding partner growth arrest specific gene 1 (Gas1) and its signaling component smoothened (Smo) in enteric neurons. Using enteric neurons differentiated from neurospheres in vitro,

SUBMITTER: Jin S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4291612 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature