TY - JOUR
T1 - Coupling among interstitial cells of Cajal in the human ileum
AU - Belzer, V.
AU - Nissan, A.
AU - Freund, H. R.
AU - Hanani, M.
PY - 2004/2
Y1 - 2004/2
N2 - Current knowledge on the morphology and physiology of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) is mostly based on animal studies, and information about the function of these cells in humans is scarce. There is ultrastructural evidence that ICC in the myenteric region (ICC-MP) of the small intestine of several species are connected by gap junctions, but these were not observed in the human small intestine. The aim of the present study was to determine whether functional coupling also exists among ICC-MP in the human ileum. We visualized ICC-MP in live tissues using Nomarski optics, and verified their identity by staining for c-Kit. ICC were injected intracellularly with the fluorescent dye Lucifer yellow, which crosses gap junctions. In most cases the labelled cells had oval somata with two primary processes. At normal pH (7.3-7.4) only 20.2% (21/104) of the injected ICC were coupled to other ICC. However, at pH 7.8-7.9 coupling incidence increased to 74.5% (35/47, P < 0.0001). The injected cells were coupled to one to 35 other ICC. Octanol blocked coupling in all cases. Apparently, gap junctions interconnect ICC in the human small intestine. Coupling was enhanced by a small increase in pH, suggesting that it may be under physiological control.
AB - Current knowledge on the morphology and physiology of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) is mostly based on animal studies, and information about the function of these cells in humans is scarce. There is ultrastructural evidence that ICC in the myenteric region (ICC-MP) of the small intestine of several species are connected by gap junctions, but these were not observed in the human small intestine. The aim of the present study was to determine whether functional coupling also exists among ICC-MP in the human ileum. We visualized ICC-MP in live tissues using Nomarski optics, and verified their identity by staining for c-Kit. ICC were injected intracellularly with the fluorescent dye Lucifer yellow, which crosses gap junctions. In most cases the labelled cells had oval somata with two primary processes. At normal pH (7.3-7.4) only 20.2% (21/104) of the injected ICC were coupled to other ICC. However, at pH 7.8-7.9 coupling incidence increased to 74.5% (35/47, P < 0.0001). The injected cells were coupled to one to 35 other ICC. Octanol blocked coupling in all cases. Apparently, gap junctions interconnect ICC in the human small intestine. Coupling was enhanced by a small increase in pH, suggesting that it may be under physiological control.
KW - Dye coupling
KW - Gap junctions
KW - Interstitial cells of Cajal
KW - Lucifer yellow
KW - Myenteric plexus
KW - Small intestine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1342331489&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1365-2982.2003.00462.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1365-2982.2003.00462.x
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C2 - 14764207
AN - SCOPUS:1342331489
SN - 1350-1925
VL - 16
SP - 75
EP - 80
JO - Neurogastroenterology and Motility
JF - Neurogastroenterology and Motility
IS - 1
ER -