Abstract
Interstitial cells of Cajal in the subserosa (ICC-SS) of the guinea-pig proximal colon were studied by immunohistochemistry for c-Kit receptors and by transmission electron microscopy. These cells were distributed within a thin layer of connective tissue space immediately beneath the mesothelium and were multipolar with about five primary cytoplasmic processes that divided further into secondary and tertiary processes to form a two-dimensional network. Ultrastructural observations revealed that ICC-SS were connected to each other via gap junctions. They also formed close contacts and peg-and-socket junctions with smooth muscle cells. Three-dimensional analysis of confocal micrographs revealed that the cytoplasmic processes of ICC-SS had contacts with interstitial cells in the longitudinal muscle layer. Taking account of the location and peculiar arrangement of the ICC-SS and the main functions of the proximal colon, i.e. the absorption and transport of fluids, we suggest that the superficial network of ICC-SS acts as a stretch receptor to detect circumferential expansion and swelling of the colon wall and triggers the contraction of the longitudinal muscle to accelerate the drainage of fluids from the colon.
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The authors thank Dr. Peter Baluk, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, USA, for reading the manuscript.
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Aranishi, H., Kunisawa, Y. & Komuro, T. Characterization of interstitial cells of Cajal in the subserosal layer of the guinea-pig colon. Cell Tissue Res 335, 323–329 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-008-0730-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-008-0730-5