Parasympathetic Innervation Maintains Epithelial Progenitor Cells During Salivary Organogenesis

Abstract

Nervous Disposition Organ development requires the differentiation and coordination of nerves and blood vessels with multiple cell types. The peripheral parasympathetic nervous system innervates many organs during embryogenesis; however, the function of this interaction during organogenesis is unclear. By exploiting the close association during development of the parasympathetic ganglion with the mouse embryonic salivary gland epithelium, Knox et al. (p. 1645 ; see the Perspective by Rock and Hogan ) found that neuronal innervation preserves an epithelial progenitor cell population via muscarinic receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor signaling. These progenitor cells are then maintained in the adult salivary gland. A similar system was observed in the developing prostate gland. Peripheral innervation is thus necessary for organogenesis and may also be involved in organ repair or regeneration.