Age-related changes in NG2-expressing telocytes of rat stomach

NG2 immunoreactive cells (NG2 cells) are found in the brain and peripheral tissues including the skin, intestinal tracts, and bladder. In a previous study, we observed the presence of NG2 cells in the stomach using bioluminescence imaging techniques in NG2-firefly luciferase (fLuc) transgenic (Tg) rats. Here, we aimed to identify and characterize NG2 cells in the adult rat stomach. Immunohistochemical studies showed that NG2 cells were mainly present in the lamina propria and most of the cells were gastric telocytes, co-expressing CD34, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα), with a small oval-shaped cell body and extremely long and thin cellular prolongations. In the rat stomach, NG2-expressing telocytes comprised two subpopulations: NG2+/CD34+/PDGFRα+ and NG2+/CD34+/PDGFRα-. Furthermore, we showed that the expression of NG2 gene in the aged rat stomach decreased relative to that of the young rat stomach and the decline of NG2 expression in aged rats was mainly observed in NG2+/CD34+/PDGFRα+ telocytes. These findings suggested age-related alterations in NG2+/CD34+/PDGFRα+ telocytes of rat stomach.