RESUMO
The enteric glia, a neural crest-derived cell type that composes the Enteric Nervous System, is involved in controlling gut functions, including motility, gut permeability, and neuronal communication. Moreover this glial cell could to give rise to new neurons. It is believed that enteric neurons are generated up to 21 days postnatally; however, adult gut cells with glial characteristics can give rise to new enteric neurons under certain conditions. The factors that activate this capability of enteric glia to differentiate into neurons remain unknown. Here, we followed the progress of this neuronal differentiation and investigated this ability by challenging enteric glial cells with different culture conditions. We found that, in vitro, enteric glial cells from the gut of adult and neonate mice have a high capability to acquire neuronal markers and undergoing morphological changes. In a co-culture system with 3T3 fibroblasts, the number of glial cells expressing ßIIItubulin decreased after 7 days. The effect of 3T3-conditioned medium on adult cells was not significant, and fewer enteric glial cells from neonate mice began the neurogenic process in this medium. Laminin, an extracellular matrix protein that is highly expressed by the niche of the enteric ganglia, seemed to have a large role in inhibiting the differentiation of enteric glia, at least in cells from the adult gut. Our results suggest that, in an in vitro approach that provides conditions more similar to those of enteric glial cells in vivo, these cells could, to some extent, retain their morphology and marker expression, with their neurogenic potential inhibited. Importantly, laminin seemed to inhibit differentiation of adult enteric glial cells. It is possible that the differentiation of enteric glia into neurons is related to severe changes in the microenvironment, leading to disruption of the basement membrane. In summary, our data indicated that the interaction between the enteric glial cells and their microenvironment molecules significantly affects the control of their behavior and functions.
RESUMO
The current study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to Anaplasma marginale in cattle from Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane provinces, south Mozambique. A total of 809 serum samples from cattle were obtained and tested by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA). The chi-square test at 5% significance was used to assess the association between seroprevalence and the variables gender, age and geographic origin of animals. The overall seropositivity was 76.5% (n = 619) and anti-A. marginale antibodies were detected in 89.1% (n = 156), 68.4% (n = 308) and 84.2% (n = 155) of the animals in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane, respectively. A significant association (p < 0.05) was found with the geographic origin of the animals, while sex had no significant relationship. The frequencies of seropositive in the age groups were 63.2% (n = 72), 80.0% (n = 92), 83.1% (n = 98) and 77.3% (n = 357) for animals <12; >12 and ≤24; >24 and ≤36; >36 months, respectively. These results indicate that in southern Mozambique there are areas of enzootic stability to A. marginale. Thus, epidemiological monitoring is required to monitor the immune status of animals in the region.