Cardiac telocytes: serial dynamic images in cell culture

• Published in: Journal of cellular and molecular medicine Vol. 14; no. 11; pp. 2687 - 2692
• Main Authors: Suciu, L., Nicolescu, M. I., Popescu, L. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2010; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Animals; Cell culture; Cell Culture Techniques - instrumentation; Cell division; Cell migration; Cells; Cells, Cultured; Electron microscopy; Fibroblasts; Heart; Heart - growth & development; ICLC; Images in Cellular, Molecular Medicine; Immunofluorescence; Immunohistochemistry; Interstitial cells; Interstitial Cells of Cajal - cytology; Mice; Microscopy; Microscopy, Video; Myocardium; Myocytes, Cardiac - cytology; podomeres; podoms; Rodents; Stem cells; telocytes; telopodes; time‐lapse videomicroscopy
• ISSN: 1582-1838; 1582-4934
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2010.01185.x

Telocytes (TC) are interstitial cells with telopodes (Tp). These prolongations (Tp) are quite unique: very long (several tens of micrometres) and very thin (≤0.5 μm), with moniliform aspect: thin segments (podomeres) alternating with dilations (podoms). To avoid any confusion, TC were previously named interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLC). Myocardial TC were repeatedly documented by electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. TC form a network by their Tp, either in situ or in vitro. Cardiac TC are (completely) different of ‘classic’ fibroblasts or fibrocytes. We hereby present a synopsis of monitoring, by time‐lapse videomicroscopy, of Tp network development in cell culture. We used a protocol that favoured interstitial cell selection from adult mouse myocardium. Videomicroscopy showed dynamic interactions of neighbour TC during the network formation. During their movement, TC leave behind distal segments (podomeres) of their Tp as guiding marks for the neighbouring cells to follow during network rearrangement.