Role of spinal cord in regulating mouse kidney: a virally mediated trans-synaptic tracing study.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the spinal innervation and neuronal connections is important for studying renal metabolic responses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, the spinal cords of 10 adult male C57BL/6J strain mice were mapped retrograde using injections of pseudorabies virus (PRV)-614. The virus, injected into the kidney, was specifically transported to the spinal cord.

RESULTS

At 5 days after injection of the PRV-614, PRV-614-positive cells were found in the intermediolateral cell column, the intercalates nucleus, or the central autonomic nucleus of spinal cord segments T4-L1, and most PRV-614-labeled cells were found in the T9 segment.

CONCLUSION

Our results revealed neuroanatomical circuits between kidney and the spinal intermediolateral cell column neurons.