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

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.

Keywords: Stem cell; Stem cell niche; Telocyte; Telopodes.