Enteric Pacemaker Cells
Enteric Pacemaker Cells - Related Videos
08:52
Generation of Murine Cardiac Pacemaker Cell Aggregates Based on ES-Cell-Programming in Combination with Myh6-Promoter-Selection
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Cited by 13 •
2015
This protocol describes how to produce functional sinus nodal tissue from murine pluripotent stem cells (PSC). T-Box3 (TBX3) overexpression plus cardiac Myosin-heavy-chain (Myh6) promoter antibiotic selection leads to highly pure pacemaker cell aggregates. These “Induced-sinoatrial-bodies” (“iSABs”) contain over 80% pacemaker cells, show highly increased beating rates and are able to pace myocardium ex vivo.
04:52
Isolating Enteric Glial Cells From the Submucosa and Lamina Propria of a Mouse
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2025
This video demonstrates a method for isolating enteric glial cells from the submucosa and lamina propria of the mouse intestine. It outlines the steps involved in extracting submucosa and lamina propria tissue, isolating the enteric glial cells from them, and culturing the cells on a coated well-plate to establish an enteric glial cell culture.
08:26
A Quantitative Cell Migration Assay for Murine Enteric Neural Progenitors
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Cited by 10 •
2013
We present an ex vivo cell migration assay that allows precise quantification of enteric neural crest cell migration potential in the presence of various growth factors.
05:11
Differentiation of Enteric Nervous System Lineages from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
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Cited by 1 •
2024
Deriving enteric nervous system (ENS) lineages from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) provides a scalable source of cells to study ENS development and disease, and to use in regenerative medicine. Here, a detailed in vitro protocol to derive enteric neurons from hPSCs using chemically defined culture conditions is presented.
11:26
In Situ Ca2+ Imaging of the Enteric Nervous System
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Cited by 24 •
2015
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a network of neurons and glia located in the gut wall that controls intestinal reflexes. This protocol describes methods for recording the activity of enteric neurons and glia in live preparations of ENS using Ca2+ imaging.
FAQs
Interstitial cells of Cajal generate slow waves through cyclic changes in membrane conductance. The resulting electrical rhythm establishes a recurring temporal pattern that smooth muscle can follow. This timing function matters because gastrointestinal contractions must occur in an organized sequence, allowing luminal contents to be mixed and propelled rather than moved by uncoordinated activity.
Electrical signaling from these cells reaches gastrointestinal smooth muscle and occurs alongside communication with enteric nerves. This arrangement connects an intrinsic pacemaker rhythm with neural control of digestive motility. Studying both pathways helps distinguish the role of the cells in setting basic timing from the role of enteric nerves in coordinating regulation within the intestinal wall.
Disrupted pacemaker activity can alter the timing or coordination of gastrointestinal contractions. The expected consequences described for this system include abnormal transit and impaired gastric or intestinal contractions. For biology research, these outcomes make pacemaker-cell electrophysiology relevant to understanding how cellular electrical disturbances can scale up to whole-organ motility problems.
Structural studies examine where enteric pacemaker cells are situated within the intestinal wall and how they relate spatially to smooth muscle and enteric nerves. Electrophysiological studies then focus on spontaneous slow waves and the membrane-conductance changes associated with them. Using both perspectives connects cellular organization with the electrical activity that supports digestive movement.
By examining spontaneous slow waves, investigators can assess the rhythmic electrical behavior of the cells and relate it to downstream smooth-muscle activity. This provides a mechanistic bridge between membrane conductance, signal transmission, and the coordinated contractions responsible for mixing and propulsion in the gastrointestinal tract.
Because their activity helps establish contraction timing and direction, altered pacemaker function offers a cellular context for abnormal transit or impaired gastric and intestinal contractions. Examining their structure and electrophysiology can therefore connect changes in the intestinal wall to broader defects in enteric nervous system regulation.