| First Author | Viola MF | Year | 2023 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 618 |
| Issue | 7966 | Pages | 818-826 |
| PubMed ID | 37316669 | Mgi Jnum | J:357353 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7525584 | Doi | 10.1038/s41586-023-06200-7 |
| Citation | Viola MF, et al. (2023) Dedicated macrophages organize and maintain the enteric nervous system. Nature 618(7966):818-826 |
| abstractText | Correct development and maturation of the enteric nervous system (ENS) is critical for survival(1). At birth, the ENS is immature and requires considerable refinement to exert its functions in adulthood(2). Here we demonstrate that resident macrophages of the muscularis externa (MMvarphi) refine the ENS early in life by pruning synapses and phagocytosing enteric neurons. Depletion of MMvarphi before weaning disrupts this process and results in abnormal intestinal transit. After weaning, MMvarphi continue to interact closely with the ENS and acquire a neurosupportive phenotype. The latter is instructed by transforming growth factor-beta produced by the ENS; depletion of the ENS and disruption of transforming growth factor-beta signalling result in a decrease in neuron-associated MMvarphi associated with loss of enteric neurons and altered intestinal transit. These findings introduce a new reciprocal cell-cell communication responsible for maintenance of the ENS and indicate that the ENS, similarly to the brain, is shaped and maintained by a dedicated population of resident macrophages that adapts its phenotype and transcriptome to the timely needs of the ENS niche. |
