Intestinal motility: ontogenesis and morphogenetic effects

Although the embryo is fed during gestation through the placenta, its intestine exhibits considerable motility, going through a stereotyped sequence involving smooth muscle, pacemaker interstitial cells of Cajal and finally neural control by the enteric nervous system. In this seminar, I will present how “reverse engineering” motility by looking at its development in mouse and chicken embryos allows us to understand the contribution of these various cell types to gut peristalsis, mechanosensitivity and morphogenesis, and how this can help us grasp dysmotility in a range of pathologies.