Guidance molecules involved in the development of the enteric nervous system

肠壁内有数以百万计的神经细胞，它们控制着许多肠道功能，包括蠕动。在发育过程中，这些神经细胞是由从发育中的大脑迁移出来的细胞产生的，这些细胞首先进入胃。这些迁移细胞被称为“神经嵴”细胞。进入胃后，神经嵴细胞在胃肠道壁内迁移，直到到达远端（肛门）。在胚胎小鼠中，神经嵴细胞在整个肠道的定植需要四天时间，而在人类中，这个过程可能需要三周左右。神经嵴细胞在整个胃肠道中生长是至关重要的，因为缺乏神经嵴细胞的肠道区域（以及神经细胞）无法发挥作用，肠道内容物在缺乏神经细胞的区域前积聚。这种情况在一些婴儿身上发现（先天性巨结肠病），它只能通过手术切除缺乏神经细胞的区域来治疗。目前，关于控制肠道内神经嵴细胞迁移的机制，以及是否有特定分子参与这一过程，知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们将使用多种方法来鉴定参与神经嵴细胞向发育中的肠道迁移的分子。

There are millions of nerve cells within the wall of the intestine, and they control many intestinal functions, including motility. During development, these nerve cells arise from cells which migrate away from the developing brain and first enter the stomach. The migratory cells are called 'neural crest' cells. After entering the stomach, neural crest cells migrate within the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, until they reach the far (anal) end. In embryonic mice, this colonisation of the entire gut by neural crest cells takes over four days, and in humans the process probably takes around three weeks. It is essential that neural crest cells colonise the entire gastrointestinal tract, since regions of intestine lacking neural crest cells (and hence nerve cells) cannot function and intestinal contents build up in front of the region lacking nerve cells. This condition is found in some babies (Hirschsprung's disease), and it can only be treated by surgically removing the region lacking nerve cells. Currently, little is known about the mechanisms controlling the migration of neural crest cells within the gut, and whether particular molecules are involved in this process. In this study, we will use a variety of methods to identify the molecules that are involved in the migration of neural crest cells into and along the developing gut.