Scavuzzo Marissa A, Letai Katherine C, Maeno-Hikichi Yuka, Wulftange William J, Shah Isha K, Rameshbabu Jeyashri S, Tomar Alka, Shick H Elizabeth, Shah Aakash K, Xiong Ying, Cohn Erin F, Allan Kevin C, Tesar Paul J
Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
bioRxiv. 2023 Jun 9:2023.06.07.544052. doi: 10.1101/2023.06.07.544052.
Enteric glia are the predominant cell type in the enteric nervous system yet their identities and roles in gastrointestinal function are not well classified. Using our optimized single nucleus RNA-sequencing method, we identified distinct molecular classes of enteric glia and defined their morphological and spatial diversity. Our findings revealed a functionally specialized biosensor subtype of enteric glia that we call "hub cells." Deletion of the mechanosensory ion channel PIEZO2 from adult enteric glial hub cells, but not other subtypes of enteric glia, led to defects in intestinal motility and gastric emptying in mice. These results provide insight into the multifaceted functions of different enteric glial cell subtypes in gut health and emphasize that therapies targeting enteric glia could advance the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
肠神经胶质细胞是肠神经系统中的主要细胞类型，然而它们在胃肠道功能中的身份和作用尚未得到很好的分类。利用我们优化的单核RNA测序方法，我们鉴定出了肠神经胶质细胞的不同分子类别，并定义了它们的形态和空间多样性。我们的研究结果揭示了一种功能特化的肠神经胶质细胞生物传感器亚型，我们将其称为“枢纽细胞”。从小鼠成年肠神经胶质枢纽细胞而非其他肠神经胶质细胞亚型中删除机械感觉离子通道PIEZO2，会导致肠道蠕动和胃排空出现缺陷。这些结果为不同肠神经胶质细胞亚型在肠道健康中的多方面功能提供了见解，并强调针对肠神经胶质细胞的疗法可能会推动胃肠道疾病的治疗。
