Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Nov;12(4):411-21.
doi: 10.12816/0003165. Epub 2012 Nov 20.

Interstitial Cells of Cajal: Pathology, injury and repair

Dhuha Al-Sajee  1 , Jan D Huizinga
Affiliations

Interstitial Cells of Cajal: Pathology, injury and repair

Dhuha Al-Sajee et al. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Interstitial cells of cajal (ICC) are specialised cells located within the musculature of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Although they form only 5% of the cells in the musculature of the GIT, they play a critical role in regulating smooth muscle function and GIT motility in coordination with the enteric nervous system. C-kit is a transmembrane glycoprotein that plays a critical role in ICC development and maturation. Physiological conditions such as ageing, as well as pathological conditions that have different disease processes, negatively affect ICC networks and function. Absent or disordered ICC networks can be associated with disorders in GIT motility. This review highlights the mechanism of ICC recovery from various types of injury which entails understanding the development of ICC and the factors affecting it. ICC transformation into malignant tumours (gastrointestinal stromal tumours) and their potential as contributors to therapeutic resistance is also discussed.

Keywords: Ageing; C-kit; Cajal interstitial cells; Diabetes mellitus; Gastrointestinal stromal tumors; Gastrointestinal tract.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
A small gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) from the subserosal surface, dissected from the first part of the duodenum.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
A stomach, opened to show a large gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) protruding into the gastric lumen.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Sections of gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) mainly composed of spindle cells. Haematoxylin and eosin stain (× 200).
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Microscopic view of gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) showing epitheloid cell components. Haematoxylin and eosin stain (× 200).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Kluppel MJ, Huizinga JD, Malysz J, Bernstein A. Developmental origin and kit-dependent development of the interstitial cells of Cajal in the mammalian small intestine. Devel Dynamics. 1998;211:60–71. - PubMed
    1. Komuro T. Comparative morphology of interstitial cells of Cajal: Ultrastructural characterization. Microsc Res Tech. 1999;47:267–85. - PubMed
    1. Ordög T. Interstitial cells of Cajal in diabetic gastroenteropathy. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2008;20:8–18. - PubMed
    1. Ward SM, Burns AJ, Torihashi S, Sanders KM. Mutation of the protooncogene c-kit blocks development of interstitial cells and electrical rhythmicity in murine intestine. J Physiol (Lond) 1994;480:91–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Huizinga JD, Thuneberg L, Kluppel M, Malysz J, Mikkelsen HB, Bernstein A. W/kit gene required for interstitial cells of Cajal and for intestinal pacemaker activity. Nature. 1995;373:347–9. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources