Morphology of the c-Kit-Immunoreactive Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) in the Mouse Intestine / 대한해부학회지

ABSTRACT

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are the pacemalkers in gastrointestinal muscles, and these cells also mediate or transduce inputs from the enteric nervoius system. Immunolabelling of interstitial cells of ICC in intestinal wall is recently developed by using specific marker, anti-c-kit antibody. Immunohistochemistry was done for c-Kit-positive ICC network in attempt to provide a morphological basis for the mechanism regulating gastro-intestinal movement. Cryosection and whole-mount preparations of mouse ileum and colon were immunolabelled using the anti-c-Kit. Immunolabelled specimens were observed under a confocal laser scanning microscopy. According to three dimensional reconstruction study, it was found that the c-Kit-positive cells were widely distributed in the intestinal wall (1) circular muscle layer, (2) myenteric plexus, (3) deep muscular plexus in ileum, (4) submucosal plexus and longitudinal muscle layer in colon. The characteristic profiles of ICC containing c-Kit-positive cells provide a morphological basis upon the mechanism regulating gastro-intestinal motility.