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Published on: October 18, 2019
Identification of kit positive cells in the human urinary tract
Frank van der AA1, Tania Roskams, Wim Blyweert
1Departments of Urology and Pathology, University Hospitals KULeuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Insights
Interstitial cells, similar to those in the bowel, were found throughout the human urinary tract. These cells may play a key role in urinary tract function and disorders.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Gastroenterology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Interstitial cells of Cajal are crucial for gastrointestinal function.
- Their presence and role in the urinary tract are less understood.
- Species-specific differences necessitate human tissue studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and distribution of interstitial cells in fresh frozen human urinary tract tissue.
- To identify interstitial cells using immunohistochemistry for specific markers.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry performed on 65 human urinary tract tissue samples from 44 patients.
- Antibodies used: kit, connexin 43, and VRL1/TRPV2.
- Tissue processed immediately after surgical removal.
Main Results:
- Interstitial cells immunopositive for kit, connexin 43, and VRL1/TRPV2 were identified.
- These cells were located beneath the urothelium and between smooth muscle cells.
- Slight topographical variations in distribution were observed across the urinary tract.
Conclusions:
- Morphological evidence suggests networks of interstitial cells in the human urinary tract.
- These cells may be involved in pacemaking or integrating electrical impulses.
- Further functional studies are required to elucidate their precise role in urinary tract physiology and pathology.
Purpose:
Analogous to interstitial cells of Cajal in the bowel, functional important networks of interstitial cells could have a role in the complex mechanism of central and peripheral control of urinary tract function. Recently various reports mentioned the presence of interstitial cells in different parts of the urinary tract and in different species. Since important differences among species exist, we performed immunohistochemistry on fresh frozen human tissue to study the presence of interstitial cells in the human urinary tract.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 65 tissue pieces from all levels of the urinary tract were obtained from 44 patients treated at our institution. Tissue was processed for immunohistochemistry immediately after removal. We performed immunohistochemistry for kit, connexin 43 and VRL1/TRPV2.
Results:
Interstitial cells immunopositive for all 3 antibodies were seen beneath the urothelium and between smooth muscle cells in all tissue pieces with slight topographical differences.
Conclusions:
Together with morphological and functional data from other experiments these morphological data suggest that, as in the bowel, networks of interstitial cells might have an important role in the physiology and pathology of the urinary tract. They could be involved in pacemaking or have an integrating role through the modulation of neurotransmission and conduction of electrical impulses. Functional experiments are the next step to study these hypotheses.
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