# Not all those who wander are lost:  Specification of lung innervating sensory neurons

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $64,926

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Multiple lines of evidence demonstrate the importance of the peripheral nervous system in the control of
organ function. For the lung, neural innervation plays a key role in breathing, pulmonary blood pressure, and
the ability to sense and respond to aerosol inputs such as allergen. Sensory innervation of the lung originates
from neurons in the vagal ganglia with axonal projections along the vagus (which means “wandering” in Latin)
nerve. The vagus nerve projects to multiple organs, including the trachea, lung, heart and intestine. Most
studies on vagal sensory neurons have focused on adult animals, and little has been done to understand the
development of target organ innervation.
 Vagal sensory neurons have distinct embryonic origins; jugular neurons are derived from neural crest
while nodose neurons are derived from epibranchial placode. Because of the many targets of the vagal
ganglia, neurons are specified to allow for the diverse functions of vagal sensory neurons. Increasing evidence
shows that there are multiple subtypes of vagal sensory neurons. For example, there is heterogeneity in cell
sizes, nerve conducting speed, embryonic origin, and gene expression. How the diversity of sensory neurons
is established during development is not understood. Whether cells are specified before or after target organ
innervation is a key question.
 A suggestion that developmental cues may bias the pattern of innervation comes from findings that the
majority of lung innervating sensory neurons are from the nodose, while the trachea is mainly innervated by
jugular sensory neurons. I aim to test the hypothesis that “not all those who wander are lost”, and determine if
vagal sensory neurons are specified prior to sending projections to target organs. To accomplish this, I will first
characterize when vagal ganglia projections reach target organs such as the trachea and lung, and whether
they follow cues from blood vessels or existing motor nerves (Aim 1). I will determine if heterogeneity exists
among vagal sensory neurons prior to lung innervation, based on an analysis of single-cell transcriptome of
embryonic vagal ganglia before and after target organ innervation (Aim 2). Specifically, I will determine the
expression patterns of Trk receptors within jugular and nodose sensory neurons prior to and after lung
innervation, and determine if vagal sensory neuron specification depends on neurotrophic ligand expression
before or after organ innervation (Aim 2). This project will investigate the co-development of the trachea/lung
and their innervating nerves, and uncover the foundational knowledge of how the neural control of organ
function is established.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9993136
- **Project number:** 1F32HL151168-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Justinn Barr
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $64,926
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9993136

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9993136, Not all those who wander are lost:  Specification of lung innervating sensory neurons (1F32HL151168-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9993136. Licensed CC0.

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