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In situ recording from gut pacemaker cells

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Abstract

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) associated with the myenteric plexus of the small intestine are crucial players in gut physiology performing pacemaker functions and directing peristalsis and segmentation. ICC have been studied after chemical isolation and under culture conditions, but concerns that these methods affect the intrinsic properties have hindered progress in our understanding of ICC. To overcome this problem, we have developed a method to obtain electrophysiological recordings from ICC in situ. The critical feature is the ability to make high resistance seals onto cells that are embedded within tissue to obtain patch clamp recordings. Our first results show a prominent presence of a chloride channel, one of the proposed ICC pacemaker channels. The developed method can be applied to auxiliary cells of the enteric nervous system such as glial cells or fibroblasts and will be ideal for the study of cell–cell communication in tissue.

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Abbreviations

ICC:

interstitial cell(s) of Cajal

LMMP:

longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by an operating grant (MOP-12874) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and was supported by the Brain-Body Institute. Dr. Bingxian Wang received a Canadian Association of Gastroenterology–Canadian Institute of Health Research–Janssen Postdoctoral fellowship. We thank Dr. Areles Molleman for discussion on the issue of space clamp.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Intestinal Disease Research Program, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

    Bingxian Wang, Yaohui Zhu & Jan D. Huizinga

  2. The Brain–Body Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

    Wolfgang A. Kunze

  3. Health Science Center, McMaster University, Room 3N5C, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8N3Z5, Canada

    Jan D. Huizinga

Authors
  1. Bingxian Wang
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  2. Wolfgang A. Kunze
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  3. Yaohui Zhu
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  4. Jan D. Huizinga
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Correspondence to Jan D. Huizinga.

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Wang, B., Kunze, W.A., Zhu, Y. et al. In situ recording from gut pacemaker cells. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 457, 243–251 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-008-0513-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-008-0513-6

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