Characterisation and comparison of Enteric Nervous System markers between different ages of the mouse.

Abstract

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a congenital condition which is defined by the absence of ganglia and nerves in the most distal section of the bowel. In this condition, the enteric neural crest cells (ENCCs) do not colonise the entire gut length which results in HSCR. The focus of this research is to characterise and evaluate the differences in ENS development between PN7, PN21, and adult mice. The colons of postnatal 7, postnatal 21 and the adult mice were isolated and collected. They were subsequently embedded and sectioned using a cryostat. Following this, immunostaining was employed to stain these sample sections using distinct ENS markers such as p75, smooth muscle actin (SMA), Tuj, S100 and calretinin (Cal). As a result, all of the markers for ganglia and neurons were identified and expressed between the different ages. However, their density and size differed. Some markers, such as Tuj, were identified in higher amounts of expression in some places compared with others. In comparison with the younger ages, the adult ganglia were larger and more easily to identify. We hope that characterising the normal colon will assist us in gaining a better understand of how ENS develops into ganglia and neurons. This will provide a valuable insight into the phenotype of the Ednrb-/-HSCR model mouse. This could assist researchers to ascertain what is typical in the sense of cells, cell types, distribution and expression patterns.