Laboratory of Histology and Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Social Welfare, Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1192, Japan.
Cell Tissue Res. 2012 Feb;347(2):319-26. doi: 10.1007/s00441-011-1312-5.
Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) associated with the submucosal (submucous) plexus (ICC-SP) in the proximal colon of the guinea pig were studied by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Whole-mount stretch preparations with c-Kit immunohistochemistry revealed that a number of ICC-SP constituted a dense cellular network around the submucosal plexus. Some of these ICC-SP were observed in the vicinity of the muscularis mucosae in sections immunostained for c-Kit and α-smooth muscle actin. Ultrastructural observation demonstrated, for the first time, that ICC-SP of the proximal colon of the guinea pig retained typical ultrastructural characteristics of ICC repeatedly reported in association with the tunica muscularis of the gastrointestinal tract: a basal lamina, caveolae, many mitochondria, abundant intermediate filaments and the formation of gap junctions with the same type of cells. The most remarkable ultrastructural finding was the presence of thick bundles composed of the processes of ICC-SP connected to each other via large gap junctions. These ICC-SP might be involved in the main mucosal functions of the proximal colon of the guinea pig, namely the transportation of water and electrolytes, possibly via their involvement in the spontaneous contractions of the muscularis mucosae.
应用免疫组织化学和电子显微镜技术研究了豚鼠近端结肠黏膜下（黏膜下）神经丛（ICC-SP）相关的 Cajal 间质细胞（ICC）。用 c-Kit 免疫组织化学进行的全层伸展制剂显示，许多 ICC-SP 构成了黏膜下神经丛周围密集的细胞网络。在 c-Kit 和 α-平滑肌肌动蛋白免疫染色的切片中观察到其中一些 ICC-SP 位于黏膜肌附近。超微结构观察首次表明，豚鼠近端结肠的 ICC-SP 保留了与胃肠道黏膜肌层相关的 ICC 的典型超微结构特征：基膜、小窝、许多线粒体、丰富的中间丝和与同类型细胞形成的缝隙连接。最显著的超微结构发现是存在由 ICC-SP 的过程组成的厚束，这些过程通过大的缝隙连接相互连接。这些 ICC-SP 可能参与了豚鼠近端结肠的主要黏膜功能，即水和电解质的转运，可能通过它们参与黏膜肌的自发性收缩。
