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Identification and functional response of interstitial Cajal-like cells from rat mesenteric artery

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Abstract

Cells with irregular shapes, numerous long thin filaments, and morphological similarities to the gastrointestinal interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) have been observed in the wall of some blood vessels. These ICC-like cells (ICC-LCs) do not correspond to the other cell types present in the arterial wall: smooth muscle cells (SMCs), endothelial cells, fibroblasts, inflammatory cells, or pericytes. However, no clear physiological role has as yet been determined for ICC-LCs in the vascular wall. The aim of this study has been to identify and characterize the functional response of ICC-LCs in rat mesenteric arteries. We have observed ICC-LCs and identified them morphologically and histologically in three different environments: isolated artery, freshly dispersed cells, and primary-cultured cells from the arterial wall. Like ICCs but unlike SMCs, ICC-LCs are positively stained by methylene blue. Cells morphologically resembling methylene-blue-positive cells are also positive for the ICC and ICC-LC markers α-smooth muscle actin and desmin. Furthermore, the higher expression of vimentin in ICC-LCs compared with SMCs allows a clear discrimination between these two cell types. At the functional level, the differences observed in the variations of cytosolic free calcium concentration of freshly dispersed SMCs and ICC-LCs in response to a panel of vasoactive molecules show that ICC-LCs, unlike SMCs, do not respond to exogenous ATP and [Arginine]8-vasopressin.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Juan-Carlos Sarria, Thierry Laroche, and Alessandra Griffa for expert help with the imaging experiments and data processing. We are also grateful to Nadia Halidi and François Delavy for fruitful discussions and to Josiane Smith-Clerc for excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Cell Biophysics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Aurélie Formey, Lara Buscemi, Jean-Louis Bény & Jean-Jacques Meister

  2. Department of Zoology and Animal Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    François-Xavier Boittin

Authors
  1. Aurélie Formey
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  2. Lara Buscemi
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  3. François-Xavier Boittin
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  4. Jean-Louis Bény
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  5. Jean-Jacques Meister
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Correspondence to Aurélie Formey.

Additional information

This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grants FN 310000-114097 and 310300-127122).

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Formey, A., Buscemi, L., Boittin, FX. et al. Identification and functional response of interstitial Cajal-like cells from rat mesenteric artery. Cell Tissue Res 343, 509–519 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-010-1114-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-010-1114-1

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