Expression of leukaemia inhibitory factor during the development of the human enteric nervous system

Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a neuropoietic cytokine, which promote s the development of enteric neurons in vitro, particularly when administer ed together with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). The purpose of this study was to ma p the LIF immunoreactivity in the human enteric nervous system in foetuses, children, adults, and in patients with Hirschsprung's disease. Normal bowe l specimens were obtained at postmortem examination of 13 foetuses, at 13-3 1 weeks of gestation, and at surgery in five children and two adults. Bowel resected in seven patients with Hirschsprung' s disease was also investiga ted. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on material fixed in formal in and embedded in paraffin. The specimens were exposed to antibodies raise d against LIF. The ABC-complex method was used to visualise binding of anti bodies to the corresponding antigen. LIF immunoreactivity was disclosed in the myenteric and submucous ganglion cells at 13-31 weeks of gestation, in childhood cases, and adults. LIF-immunoreactive ganglion cells were absent in aganglionic bowel, where the ganglia in the intermuscular layer were rep laced by hypertrophic nerve bundles. These morphological findings indicate that LIF may play a role in the development of the enteric nervous system.