Study Explores Function and Characteristics of Enteric Nervous System Cells in Context of Injury

Article title: Adult enteric Dclk1-positive glial and neuronal cells reveal distinct responses to acute intestinal injury

Authors: Moritz Middelhoff, Giovanni Valenti, Lorenzo Tomassoni, Yosuke Ochiai, Bryana Belin, Ryota Takahashi, Ermanno Malagola, Henrik Nienhüser, Michael Finlayson, Yoku Hayakawa, Leah B. Zamechek, Bernhard W. Renz, C. Benedikt Westphalen, Michael Quante, Kara Gross Margolis, Peter A. Sims, Pasquale Laise, Andrea Califano, Meenakshi Rao, Michael David Gershon, Timothy C. Wang

From the authors: “Interestingly, Dclk1-labeled glial-like cells show prominent transcriptional changes in response to injury, and harbor features reminiscent of previously described enteric neural precursor cells. Our data thus adds to recently emerging evidence of reserve cellular plasticity in the adult enteric nervous system.”

This study is highlighted as one of May’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program.