Sanches Bruno D A, Corradi Lara S, Vilamaior Patricia S L, Taboga Sebastião R
Department of Structural and Functional Biology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Bertrand Russel Av. s/n, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Laboratory of Microscopy and Microanalysis, Department of Biology, Univ. Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Cristóvão Colombo St., 2265, Jardim Nazareth, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;913:193-206. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-1061-3_13.
The telocytes have recently been described in the prostate gland. In mature gland, they exist in close association with the acini and their telopodes form networks whose functions remain unclear. In this chapter, our group gives a brief introduction to telocytes and explores the history that led to such a concept and then discusses hypotheses and presents new evidences about the roles exerted by telocytes in the prostate. First is given emphasis on the role that these cells possibly play in paracrine signaling employed in the differentiation of smooth muscle periacinar are then discussed other roles potentially performed by telocytes in the prostate, such as the organizational, where these cells would act in order to delimit stromal microenvironments, thereby assisting the differentiation of the prostatic anatomical components. In addition, the pacemaker function of smooth muscle cells contraction, as evidenced by the presence of caveolae and gap-type junction and, finally, the role of telocytes in prostate remodeling and the possible action as adult progenitor cells. Generally speaking, the chapter reaffirms the existence of telocytes as distinct cells of other stromal cells and the importance of this new cell type for normal metabolism and prostate development.
最近在前列腺中发现了端粒细胞。在成熟的腺体中，它们与腺泡紧密相连，其端粒形成网络，但其功能尚不清楚。在本章中，我们团队简要介绍了端粒细胞，探讨了这一概念的形成历史，然后讨论了关于端粒细胞在前列腺中发挥作用的假说并提出了新证据。首先强调了这些细胞可能在腺泡周围平滑肌分化中所采用的旁分泌信号传导中发挥的作用，接着讨论了端粒细胞在前列腺中可能发挥的其他作用，比如组织作用，即这些细胞会发挥作用来界定基质微环境，从而辅助前列腺解剖成分的分化。此外，平滑肌细胞收缩的起搏器功能，这可通过小窝和缝隙连接的存在得到证明，最后是端粒细胞在前列腺重塑中的作用以及作为成年祖细胞的可能作用。总体而言，本章重申了端粒细胞作为不同于其他基质细胞的独特细胞的存在，以及这种新细胞类型对前列腺正常代谢和发育的重要性。
