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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Using Drosophila Larval Neuromuscular Junction and Muscle Cells to Visualize Microtubule Network

Using Drosophila Larval Neuromuscular Junction and Muscle Cells to Visualize Microtubule Network

Published on: October 20, 2023

Telocytes in neuromuscular spindles.

Lucio Díaz-Flores¹, Ricardo Gutiérrez, Francisco J Sáez

¹Department of Anatomy, Pathology, Histology and Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, 38071 Tenerife, Spain. kayto54@gmail.com

Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine

|April 30, 2013

Summary

Telocytes (TCs), a newly identified cell type, are abundant in human neuromuscular spindles (NMSs). These cells, with unique long prolongations called telopodes, play a role in NMS structure and signaling.

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Dissection of Single Skeletal Muscle Fibers for Immunofluorescent and Morphometric Analyses of Whole-Mount Neuromuscular Junctions

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Published on: August 14, 2021

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Dissection of Single Skeletal Muscle Fibers for Immunofluorescent and Morphometric Analyses of Whole-Mount Neuromuscular Junctions

Dissection of Single Skeletal Muscle Fibers for Immunofluorescent and Morphometric Analyses of Whole-Mount Neuromuscular Junctions

Published on: August 14, 2021

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Histology
Neuroscience

Background:

Telocytes (TCs) are a recently discovered cell type found in various stromal tissues.
Neuromuscular spindles (NMSs) are sensory receptors crucial for proprioception and muscle tone regulation.
The presence and function of TCs within NMSs remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence and ultrastructural characteristics of TCs in adult human NMSs.
To examine the expression of specific markers in NMS-associated TCs.
To explore the role of TCs during human foetal development and in skeletal muscle pathology.

Main Methods:

Light microscopy (conventional and immunohistochemistry) and electron microscopy were employed.
Immunohistochemistry utilized markers such as vimentin, CD34, and c-kit/CD117.
Analysis included adult human NMSs, foetal NMSs, and NMSs from pathological conditions.

Main Results:

A significant number of TCs were identified within adult human NMSs.
TCs exhibited characteristic ultrastructural features, including long telopodes (Tps) with alternating podomeres and podoms.
TCs were found in both external and internal layers of the NMS capsule, surrounding intrafusal muscle cells, nerves, and vessels.
Immunohistochemistry confirmed TC expression of vimentin and CD34, with occasional c-kit/CD117.
In foetal NMSs, TCs and perineural cells formed a sheath guiding intrafusal structures.
Pathological NMSs showed altered TC numbers, with increased CD34-positive TCs in fibromatosis and varied counts in inflammatory myopathy.

Conclusions:

Telocytes are a prominent cell type within human neuromuscular spindles, forming a complex network.
TCs likely play a role in controlling NMS activity and cell-cell signaling.
NMSs provide a suitable microanatomic environment for studying telocytes, with potential implications for understanding foetal development and muscle pathology.