These videos show the histological structure of the human colon and the mouse small intestine as well as several elements of the gut nervous system in human and mouse in three-dimension.
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Movie 1: Human colon, structure and innervation as 2D going-through
Tissue/pathology:
Human colon
Antibodies:
488 autofluorescence (brownish-red)
PGP9.5 (gray)
Movie description:
Autofluorescence (AF) is brownish-red, innervation is bluish gray. AF depicts the structure of a piece of human colon (bit damaged and distorted due to sampling and processing). PGP9.5 is a pan-neuronal marker and depicts all neuronal elements (bluish gray), so here we basically see the full innervation (including sympathetic, parasympathetic elements and the full enteral nervous system). Note the heavy fine innervation of the intestinal crypts throughout.
Movie 2: Same acquisition as MOVIE 1, but now in 3D
Tissue/pathology:
Human colon
Antibodies:
488 autofluorescence (brownish-red)
PGP9.5 (gray)
Movie description:
First, we see the autofluorescence (brownish) that depicts the shape of the organ, together with the PGP9.5 (all neuronal elements, bluish gray). After some turn, zoom to the nerves, first to the dense fine innervation of the crypts and then to the thicker nerves and neurons of the gut wall, in various perspectives.
Movie 5: Small intestine stained with the epithelial marker e-cadherin (green) and the smooth muscle marker SMA (smooth muscle actin, red)
Tissue/pathology:
Young adult male C57BL/6J control mouse small intestine
Antibodies:
e-cadherin (green)
smooth muscle actin (SMA, red)
Movie description:
After some turns with both channels, we see a close up to the intestinal villi (depicted by e-cadherin), and then to the muscle of the intestine. Note the robust circular muscle around the intestine and the finer muscle fibers in the axis of the villi.
First, we see the autofluorescence channel (brownish) depicting the structure (same as in MOVIE 6, but in MIP). Then, switch to the TH channel, demonstrating the distribution of the noradrenergic nerves in the gut wall (innervating mainly the outer muscles). Then, switch to the TH channel only and close up to the sympathetic innervations from more perspectives.
