Ganglia within the Gut, Heart, Urinary Bladder, and Airways: Studies in Tissue Culture

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes ganglia within the mammalian gut, heart, urinary bladder, and airways. Autonomic ganglia are present in almost all organs of the body and exhibit considerable differences in their structures and properties. The most well-studied intrinsic autonomic ganglia, both in culture and in situ, are those of the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ganglia of the ENS are grouped into two major plexuses: (1) the myenteric (or Auerbach's), which lies between the outer longitudinal and circular smooth-muscle layers and (2) the submucous (or Meissner's), which lies in the connective tissue of the submucosa. The two plexuses are connected by nerves that pass through the circular muscle layer. The enteric neurons are a highly diverse population functionally, morphologically, and with respect to their neurotransmitter phenotypes. The unique advantages of culture preparations, including the increased accessibility of the cultured cells, the ability to observe cells over extended periods of time, and the ability to control their physical and chemical environment, are pertinent in the study of the regulation of phenotypic differentiation.