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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Visualization of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) Network in Mice
Published on: July 27, 2011
Ultrastructural study of relationships between c-kit immunoreactive interstitial cells and other cellular elements in
1Département de Physiologie et Neurophysiologie, CNRS-ESA 6034, Faculté des Sciences Marseille Saint-Jérôme, France.
Insights
Interstitial cells of Cajal (c-kit ICs) in the human colon form close contacts with smooth muscle cells and nerve fibers. These findings clarify the anatomical relationships of c-kit ICs within the colonic wall.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Cell Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Interstitial cells of Cajal (c-kit ICs) are crucial for gastrointestinal motility.
- Their precise anatomical relationships within the human colon remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the detailed ultrastructural relationships between c-kit ICs and surrounding cellular elements in the human distal colon.
Main Methods:
- C-kit immunocytochemistry was employed on ultrathin sections of human distal colon.
- Microscopic analysis focused on the external muscular layers, myenteric area, and submucosal plexus.
Main Results:
- C-kit ICs established direct membrane appositions with nerve fibers and smooth muscle cells (longitudinal and circular layers).
- These cells were observed in close proximity to blood vessels and fibroblast-like cells.
- Contacts occurred at both c-kit IC bodies and their cytoplasmic processes, sometimes involving all three cell types simultaneously.
Conclusions:
- The study elucidates the intricate cellular interactions of c-kit ICs in the human colon.
- These findings support the classification of these cells as interstitial cells of Cajal, integral to colonic function.
Abstract:
C-kit immunocytochemistry was performed on ultrathin sections of human distal colon. Our attention was focused on relationships between c-kit immunoreactive interstitial cells (c-kit ICs) and muscular cells and nervous elements located in the external muscular layers of the colonic wall. C-kit ICs established membrane apposition with both nerve fibers and smooth muscle cells of, respectively, the longitudinal and circular muscle layers, the myenteric area, and the extremus submucosus plexus. C-kit ICs also surrounded the external submucosus plexus and established membrane appositions with nerve elements located inside the myenteric ganglia. These membrane appositions were observed either at the level of the c-kit IC bodies or at that of their cytoplasmic processes. In some cases, membrane appositions were observed concomitantly between the c-kit ICs, nerve fibers, and smooth muscle cells. In all the regions studied, the c-kit ICs were also found to be located in the close vicinity of blood vessels and to have established close contacts with non-immunoreactive fibroblast-like cells. The results of the present study shed essential light on the relationships of c-kit ICs with the neighboring muscle cells and nerve elements, and confirm that the intercalated c-kit ICs well fit with the so-called "interstitial cells of Cajal".
