Journal article
Deletion of choline acetyltransferase in enteric neurons results in postnatal intestinal dysmotility and dysbiosis
CD Johnson, AJ Barlow-Anacker, JF Pierre, K Touw, CS Erickson, JB Furness, ML Epstein, A Gosain
FASEB Journal | FEDERATION AMER SOC EXP BIOL | Published : 2018
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh)-synthesizing neurons are major components of the enteric nervous system (ENS). They release ACh and peptidergic neurotransmitters onto enteric neurons and muscle. However, pharmacological interrogation has proven inadequate to demonstrate an essential role for ACh. Our objective was to determine whether elimination of ACh synthesis during embryogenesis alters prenatal viability, intestinal function, the neurotransmitter complement, and the microbiome. Conditional deletion of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the ACh synthetic enzyme, in neural crest–derived neurons (ChAT-Null) was performed. Survival, ChAT activity, gut motility, and the microbiome were studied. ChAT was ..
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Awarded by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors thank Brian Torres for assistance in performing assays, Dr. Timur Mavlyutov (University of Wisconsin-Madison) for assistance with confocal imaging, and Dr. June Dahl (University of Wisconsin-Madison) for suggestions on the manuscript. This work was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Grants K08DK098271, R03DK114543, and P30DK42086; by an American Pediatric Surgical Association Foundation Scholars Award (to A.G.); and by an American College of Surgeons George H.A. Clowes Career Development Award (to A.G.). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.