Figure 3: Loss of slow-wave activity and excitatory neurotransmission in ICC-depleted animals. | Nature Communications

Figure 3: Loss of slow-wave activity and excitatory neurotransmission in ICC-depleted animals.

From: Interstitial cells of Cajal integrate excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission with intestinal slow-wave activity

Figure 3

(a–c) In vivo gastric emptying and small intestinal transit measured by quantification of indocyanin green (ICG) fluorescence. (a) Gastric emptying of indicated genotypes (n=3-4; *P<0.05; Students t-test). (b) Representative image of small intestinal transit of ICG in TAM- and vehicle (veh.)-treated animals of indicated genotypes. (c) Small intestinal transit of indicated genotypes (n=3-4; **P<0.01; Students t-test). (d) Change of colonic transit in vivo measured by bead expulsion time before and after TAM treatment (n=10-11; *P<0.05; Students t-test). (e) Ex vivo muscle strip recordings showing spontaneous mechanical activity of ileal circular smooth musculature from TAM-treated control (upper panel) and c-KitCreERT2/+;LSL-R26DTA/+ animals (middle and lower panel, representative traces of two different animals). (f) Quantification of rhythmic contractions in e. The number of contractions with a regular distance between the peaks was counted (1 min of trace was analysed, n=11; ***P<0.001; Students t-test). Frequency (g) and calculated s.d. of amplitude (h) of contractions in ileum preparations (1 min trace of each animal was analysed, n=8-9; *P<0.05; Students t-test). (i) Intracellular microelectrode recordings display spontaneous electrical slow-wave activity in representative small intestinal circular smooth muscle cells from TAM-treated control animals (upper panel). Abolition of slow waves in TAM-treated c-KitCreERT2/+;LSL-R26DTA/+ mice (lower panel; n=3; recordings of 15 cells per animal). (j) Representative traces show contractile response of circular colonic muscle strips to EFS of TAM-treated control (upper left panel) and c-KitCreERT2/+;LSL-R26DTA/+ (lower left panel) mice. Right panel: graph showing EFS-induced contraction force relative to the baseline before EFS (n=6-7; ***P<0.001; Students t-test). (k) Representative intracellular microelectrode recordings of colonic circular smooth muscle cells of the indicated genotypes in response to EFS (n=3; recordings of 15 cells per animal). The EJP is lost in TAM-treated c-KitCreERT2/+;LSL-R26DTA/+ mice, whereas the fIJP and the sIJP remain unaffected by ICC depletion. All graphs show mean±s.e.m.

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