PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session II. - B: Molecular Medicine

Caeca Specific Mesenchymal Growth Factors Enhance the Ability of Enteric Neural Stem Cells to Colonize the Aganglionic Colon

Name of the presenter

Soós Ádám

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology

Authors

Ádám Soós¹, Emőke Szőcs¹, Zsanna Gecse¹, Viktória Halasy¹, Nándor Nagy¹

1: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology

Text of the abstract

Introduction: The enteric nervous system (ENS) originates from neural crest cells (NCCs) that migrate along the developing gut and differentiate into enteric neurons and glial cells. Disruptions in this process lead to congenital disorders such as Hirschsprung disease, characterized by the absence of enteric ganglia in distal segments of the colon. Recent studies have introduced the enteric neurosphere technique to isolate and culture enteric nervous system-derived stem cells (ENSCs) for stem cell-based therapies, but optimal protocols for neurosphere generation remain undefined.
Aims: Given the conserved developmental interactions between NCCs and the gut mesenchymal environment in mammals and birds, the avian embryo provides a valuable model for studying ENS development. This study aims to evaluate the quantity and neurogenic potential of ENSCs from the large intestine of late embryonic and post-hatch chickens, and to refine methods for efficient neurosphere culture.
Methods: Unsorted intestinal cells were cultured in Neurocult Basal Medium, supplemented with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), Wnt11, Endothelin-3, and Noggin, growth factors (GWEN) known to specifically regulate enteric NCC development in the colon. Neurospheres were generated from mCherry transgenic chicken embryos and maintained for 7 days, transplanted into E5 aganglionic ceca, and cultured on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chicken embryos in ovo for an additional 8 days. Tissues were subsequently analyzed via immunostaining to assess neurogenesis and interactions within the gut microenvironment.
Results: Supplementation with GWEN, a novel combination of growth factors known to influence ENCDC development, played a significant role in enhancing ENSC proliferation. This resulted in the formation of larger neurospheres with enriched neuron numbers that show efficient migration and differentiation into appropriate neural crest-derived cell types upon transplantation into an aganglionic Hirschsprung disease model.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that targeted growth factor exposure, particularly GWEN, can improve the generation and functional integration of avian enteric neurospheres, providing key insights into the potential of growth factors in regenerative therapies for ENS disorders.
Funding: OTKA-K-138664, Semmelweis 250+ Scholarship for PhD Excellence