Institute of Anatomy, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Krankenhausstrasse 9, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany.
Auton Neurosci. 2009 Dec 3;151(2):135-41. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2009.08.006. Epub 2009 Sep 13.
Enteric co-innervation of striated muscle fibers in the esophagus occurs in several mammalian species including humans. However, the functional significance is still unknown. Phylogenetic data may be instrumental in gaining further insight. We examined the bat Glossophaga soricina and the shrew Suncus murinus as representatives for phylogenetically old mammals. As ruminants the antelope Tragelaphus imberbis, the he-goat Capra falconeri and the sheep Ovis aries were selected. As non-mammals the clawed frog Xenopus laevis as representative for the taxon amphibian and the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss as representative for the taxon fish were included. Histochemistry for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase and acetylcholinesterase as well as immunofluorescence for vasoactive intestinal peptide and alpha-bungarotoxin were used to demonstrate enteric nerve fibers and motor endplates, respectively. Motor endplates were associated with enteric nerve fibers in all species investigated, although the rates of co-innervation varied from approximately 10 to 20% in shrew, antelope, he-goat, frog and fish, approximately 40% in bat to nearly 90% in sheep. These results demonstrate that enteric co-innervation, in spite of varying co-innervation rates, is conserved through vertebrate evolution, and underline the significance of this newly discovered innervation component.
食管横纹肌纤维的肠内共支配存在于包括人类在内的几种哺乳动物中。然而，其功能意义尚不清楚。系统发育数据可能有助于进一步深入了解。我们以 Glossophaga soricina 蝙蝠和 Suncus murinus 鼩鼱作为系统发育古老的哺乳动物的代表进行了研究。反刍动物 Tragelaphus imberbis 羚羊、Capra falconeri 野山羊和 Ovis aries 绵羊被选中。非哺乳动物选择了爪蟾 Xenopus laevis 作为两栖纲的代表和虹鳟 Oncorhynchus mykiss 作为鱼纲的代表。用烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸二脱氢酶和乙酰胆碱酯酶组织化学以及血管活性肠肽和α-银环蛇毒素免疫荧光分别显示肠神经纤维和运动终板。在所有研究的物种中，运动终板都与肠神经纤维相关，尽管在鼩鼱、羚羊、野山羊、青蛙和鱼中，共支配率约为 10%至 20%，在蝙蝠中约为 40%，在绵羊中几乎达到 90%。这些结果表明，尽管共支配率不同，但肠内共支配在脊椎动物进化中是保守的，并强调了这种新发现的神经支配成分的重要性。
