Open AccessDevelopment of interstitial cells of Cajal in the human digestive tract as the result of reciprocal induction of mesenchymal and neural crest cells
Author(s) -
Radenkovic Goran,
Radenkovic Dina,
Velickov Aleksandra
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.13375
Subject(s) - interstitial cell of cajal , neural crest , mesenchymal stem cell , biology , enteric nervous system , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy , myenteric plexus , stem cell factor , cell type , stem cell , pathology , cell , neuroscience , immunohistochemistry , immunology , medicine , embryo , genetics , haematopoiesis
Neural crest cells ( NCC ) can migrate into different parts of the body and express their strong inductive potential. In addition, they are multipotent and are able to differentiate into various cell types with diverse functions. In the primitive gut, NCC induce differentiation of muscular structures and interstitial cells of Cajal ( ICC ), and they themselves differentiate into the elements of the enteric nervous system ( ENS ), neurons and glial cells. ICC develop by way of mesenchymal cell differentiation in the outer parts of the primitive gut wall around the myenteric plexus ( MP ) ganglia, with the exception of colon, where they appear simultaneously also at the submucosal border of the circular muscular layer around the submucosal plexus ( SMP ) ganglia. However, in a complex process of reciprocal induction of NCC and local mesenchyma, c‐kit positive precursors are the first to differentiate, representing probably the common precursors of ICC and smooth muscle cells ( SMC ). C‐kit positive precursors could represent a key impact factor regarding the final differentiation of NCC into neurons and glial cells with neurons subsequently excreting stem cell factor ( SCF ) and other signalling molecules. Under the impact of SCF , a portion of c‐kit positive precursors lying immediately around the ganglia differentiate into ICC , while the rest differentiate into SMC .