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Review
. 2022 Dec 28;59(1):63.
doi: 10.3390/medicina59010063.

Interstitial Cells of Cajal-Origin, Distribution and Relationship with Gastrointestinal Tumors

Petru Radu  1 , Mihai Zurzu  1 , Vlad Paic  1 , Mircea Bratucu  1 , Dragos Garofil  1 , Anca Tigora  1 , Valentin Georgescu  1 , Virgiliu Prunoiu  2 , Florian Popa  1 , Valeriu Surlin  3 , Victor Strambu  1
Affiliations
Review

Interstitial Cells of Cajal-Origin, Distribution and Relationship with Gastrointestinal Tumors

Petru Radu et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) represent a particular network formed by some peculiar cells that were first described by the great neuroanatomist, S. Ramon y Cajal. Nowadays, the ICC have become a fascinating topic for scientists, arousing their curiosity; as a result, there is a vast number of published articles related to the ICC. Today, everybody widely accepts that the ICC represent the pacemaker of the gastrointestinal tract and are highly probable to be the origin cells for gastrointestinal tumors (GISTs). Recently, Cajal-like cells (ICLC) were described, which are found in different organs but with an as yet unknown physiological role that needs further study. New information regarding intestinal development indicates that the ICC (fibroblast-like and muscle-like) and intestinal muscle cells have the same common embryonic cells, thereby presenting the same cellular ultrastructure. Nowadays, there is a vast quantity of information that proves the connection of the ICC and GISTs. Both of them are known to present c-kit expression and the same ultrastructural cell features, which includes minimal myoid differentiation that is noticed in GISTs, therefore, supporting the hypothesis that GISTs are ICC-related tumors. In this review, we have tried to highlight the origin and distribution of Cajal interstitial cells based on their ultrastructural features as well as their relationship with gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Keywords: c-kit; cancer; gastrointestinal tumors; interstitial cells of Cajal.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of the ICC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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