Figure 1.

The Network of mEGCs Develops after Birth

(A) S100β immunostaining of a vibratome cross-section from the ileum of an adult wild-type mouse. In addition to the myenteric (mp) and submucosal plexus (smp), EGCs (arrows) are also found within the lamina propria around the crypts and within villi. (B) Highly branched GFP⁺ glial cells (arrows) within the mucosa in the ileum of Sox10::Cre;MADM^GR/RG mice. (C–E) S100β immunostaining of cryosections of the mucosa of P0 (C), P10 (D), and adult (E) mice. Arrows in (D) and (E) point to mEGCs. (F) Quantification of glia⁺ VC units (GFP and S100β antibodies on sections from Sox10::Cre;R26REYFP mice) demonstrating that the network of mEGCs develops postnatally. Data are represented as mean of all glia+ VC units ± SEM. One-way ANOVA, p value < 0.0001: Tukey post hoc test showed that comparison of E16.5 to P0, P10 to P18–P27, and P27–P38 to Adult was not significant (NS). However, comparison of E16.5 to P10, P18–P27, P27–P38, and Adult; P0 to P10, P18–P27, P27–P38, and Adult; P10 to P27–P38 and Adult; and P18–P27 to Adult was significant (^∗∗∗∗p < 0.0001). Comparison of P18–P27 to P27–P38 was also significant (^∗∗∗p = 0.0003). The F (DFn, DFd) value is 227.6 (5, 12). Scale bars: 100 μm (A and B); 50 μm (C–E).