Figure 2

A ChAT transgenic mouse permits the visualization of cholinergic cells and fibers in a pelvic ganglion and cholinergic fibers in the urinary bladder, gastrointestinal tract, and uterus. Representative photomicrographs of whole mount preparations of the urinary bladder removed from ChAT mice instilled with PBS (A). The pelvic ganglion and colon are also illustrated. (B). ChAT nerves appeared intact confirming previous results that intravesical instillation does not cause damage to the bladder wall. C, D, and E are confocal photomicrographs of whole mount preparations isolated from another control ChAT mouse. An intense fluorescence was observed in the pelvic ganglion region (C). In order to permit visualization of the ChAT-positive fibers in the bladder, uterus, and colon, the intensity of the pelvic ganglion (red circle) was reduced. E is a high magnification of the area delimited by the white dotted rectangle in figure D and permits the visualization of large and small cholinergic fibers innervating the urinary bladder.