Glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunoreactive enteroglial cells in the jejunum of cattle.

Enteroglial cells (EGCs) play critical roles in human health and disease, however, EGC-dependent neuropathies also affect commercially important animal species. Due to the lack of data on the distribution and phenotypic characterization of the EGCs throughout the bovine gastrointestinal tract, in this study the topographic localization of EGCs in the jejunum of healthy cattle was investigated by immunofluorescence using the glial specific marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and the panneuronal marker PGP 9.5. This analysis was conducted on both cryosections and whole mount preparations including the myenteric and the submucous plexuses of the bovine jejunum. The results obtained showed the presence of a large subpopulation of GFAP-expressing EGCs in the main plexuses and within the muscle layers, whereas only few GFAP-positive glial processes were found within the deeper layer of the mucosa, and they never reached the mucosal epithelium. Three different EGC subtypes, namely I, III and IV types were recognized in the examined tract of the bovine intestine. Overall, our results provide the basis for future investigations aimed at elucidating the functional role of the GFAP-containing EGCs which is crucial for a better understanding of the physio-pathology of the bovine intestine.