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Updated: Apr 5, 2026
Isolation and Identification of Extravascular Immune Cells of the Heart
Published on: August 23, 2018
Multiple immunophenotypes of cardiac telocytes
Yuqiao Chang1, Cixia Li2, Zhaohui Lu2
1Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China; Henan Key Laboratory of Medical Tissue Regeneration, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, PR China.
Insights
Cardiac telocytes (TCs) exhibit dynamic shape changes and extend long prolongations (telopodes) in vitro. These findings highlight the diverse phenotypes of TCs, crucial for understanding their role in heart development.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Telocytes (TCs) form a network within the heart's interstitium, suggesting a role in cardiac development.
- The dynamic behavior, including cell shape and prolongations (telopodes), of cardiac TCs has been poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamics of telopode extension in cardiac TCs.
- To identify the multiple phenotypes of cardiac TCs cultured in vitro.
Main Methods:
- Cardiac TCs were isolated from neonatal rats via enzyme digestion.
- Identification used light microscopy, immunofluorescence (vimentin, c-kit, CD34, Nanog, Sca-1), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
- Live cell imaging analyzed cell shape dynamics and telopode extension.
Main Results:
- Cardiac TCs showed diverse shapes (piriform, spindle, triangular) with long, slender telopodes.
- Cell bodies continuously changed shape, and prolongations extended gradually for about 1.5 hours after adherence.
- TCs expressed markers for mesenchymal (vimentin), hematopoietic stem (CD34), embryonic stem (Nanog), and cardiac stem cells (c-kit, Sca-1).
Conclusions:
- Cultured cardiac TCs exhibit multiple phenotypes in vitro.
- These diverse phenotypes are likely significant for their functional roles in heart development.
Aims:
Telocytes (TCs) form a 3-dimensional network in the myocardial interstitium, which most probably play important role(s) in heart development. However, the dynamics of their prolongations, continuous cell shape changes and adherence properties have not been well documented till recently. The aim of this study was to investigate dynamics of extension of prolongations (Telopods) and multiple phenotypes of cardiac TCs cultured in vitro.
Methods:
Cardiac TCs were isolated from neonatal rats by a combined enzyme digestion process and identified by light microscopy, immunofluorescence analysis and scanning using electron microscopy (SEM). Their continuous changes in shape were analyzed by a Live Cell Imaging System and multiple phenotypes were identified by immunofluorescence analysis using various markers, like vimentin, c-kit, CD34, nanog and sca-1.
Results:
Cardiac TCs displayed piriform/spindle/triangular shapes with long and slender telopodes showing extremely long prolongations. The morphology of cell body was continuously changing while their prolongations were extending gradually. After adhering to the surface, TCs' movement and extension of their prolongations lasted for approximately 1.5h. Cardiac TCs expressed mesenchymal cell marker vimentin, hematopoietic stem cell marker CD34, embryonic stem cell-associated gene of Nanog, and myocardial stem cell markers sca-1 and c-kit.
Conclusion:
These findings indicate that cultured TCs in vitro have multiple phenotypes, which are most likely important for evaluating their functional roles in heart development.
