scRNA-Seq Reveals New Enteric Nervous System Roles for GDNF, NRTN, and TBX3

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bowel function requires coordinated activity of diverse enteric neuron subtypes. Our aim was to define gene expression in these neuron subtypes to facilitate development of novel therapeutic approaches to treat devastating enteric neuropathies, and to learn more about enteric nervous system function. METHODS: To identify subtype-specific genes, we performed single-nucleus RNA-seq on adult mouse and human colon myenteric plexus, and single-cell RNA-seq on E17.5 mouse ENS cells from whole bowel. We used immunohistochemistry, select mutant mice, and calcium imaging to validate and extend results. RESULTS: RNA-seq on 635 adult mouse colon myenteric neurons and 707 E17.5 neur..