If "Enteric Nervous System" means the same thing as "Pharyngeal Nervous
System" (sometimes also called the "Esophageal nervous system" for extra
confusion, unless you're English in which case it's the "Oesophageal
nervous system"), the answer is yes: other nematodes do have one. I've
looked at several soil nematode species: among them C briggsae,
Panagrellus, Diploscapter, and Oscheius. By Nomarski they have pharyngeal
neuron nuclei in the same places as C elegans. In C Briggsae and P
redivivus they function as neurons as tested by laser ablation. I haven't
done any lasering on other species yet.
--
Leon Avery (214) 648-4931 (voice)
Department of Molecular Biology -1488 (fax)
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Blvd leon at eatworms.swmed.edu
Dallas, TX 75390-9148 http://eatworms.swmed.edu/~leon/
I would be interested to know if other nematodes are known to have an
enteric nervous system.
Nathalie
Nathalie Pujol
LGPD
Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille
Luminy case 907
13288 Marseille Cedex 9
Tel : 33.4.91.26.97.33
Fax : 33.4.91.26.97.26
e-mail : pujol at ibdm.univ-mrs.fr
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