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A Tale of Two Cells: Telocyte and Stem Cell Unique Relationship

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Telocytes

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 913))

Abstract

Telocytes have been identified as a distinctive type of interstitial cells and have been recognized in most tissues and organs. Telocytes are characterized by having extraordinary long cytoplasmic processes, telopodes, that extend to form three-dimensional networks and commonly constitute specialized forms of cell-to-cell junctions with other neighboring cells. Telocytes have been localized in the stem cell niche of different organs such as the heart, lung, skeletal muscle, and skin. Electron microscopy and electron tomography revealed a specialized link between telocytes and stem cells that postulates a potential role for telocytes during tissue regeneration and repair. In this review, the distribution of telocytes in different stem cell niches will be explored, highlighting the intimate relationship between the two types of cells and their possible functional relationship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Histology & Cell Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Zeinab M. El Maadawi MD

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Correspondence to Zeinab M. El Maadawi MD .

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  1. Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Medical School, Shanghai, China

    Xiangdong Wang

  2. Department of Cellular and Molecular Med, Carol Davila Univ of Medicine&Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania

    Dragos Cretoiu

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El Maadawi, Z.M. (2016). A Tale of Two Cells: Telocyte and Stem Cell Unique Relationship. In: Wang, X., Cretoiu, D. (eds) Telocytes. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 913. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1061-3_23

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