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. 2000 Dec;47(Suppl 4):iv40–iv43. doi: 10.1136/gut.47.suppl_4.iv40

Interstitial cells of Cajal in enteric neurotransmission

S Ward
PMCID: PMC1766822  PMID: 11076909

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Confocal micrographs of whole mount preparations showing double labelling with the receptor tyrosine kinase, Kit (FITC; A) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS; Texas Red; B) or vesicular acetylcholine transporter (vAChT) antibodies in the circular muscle layer of the murine gastric fundus. (A) Spindle shaped interstitial cells of circular and longitudinal muscle (IC-IM) immunopositive for Kit (green; arrows) within the circular muscle layer. (B) NOS-LI in enteric inhibitory nerves (arrows); IC-IM also appeared immunoreactive for NOS (C). (D, E) Double labelling of Kit (D) and vAChT (E). Double labelling of Kit-LI and vAChT-LI is shown in (F). Courtesy of Wang et al.30

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

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Model for current concept of enteric motor neurotransmission. Transmitter is released from nerve varicosities and diffuses through a loosely defined postjunctional volume with subsequent binding and activation of receptors expressed on neighbouring smooth muscle cells. Excitatory or inhibitory responses are dependent on the type and number of receptors activated.

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

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Alternative model consistent with recent morphological and physiological data is a refinement of the concept first proposed by Cajal18 and later by Daniel and Posey-Daniel.32 Neurotransmitter released from enteric motor neurones binds primarily to receptors expressed by interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs). Activation (depolarisation or hyperpolarisation) of neighbouring smooth muscle cells occurs by conduction of excitatory or inhibitory junction potentials via gap junctions between ICCs and smooth muscle cells. Thus terminals of enteric motorneurones, interstitial cells of circular and longitudinal muscle (IC-IM), and smooth muscle cells form functional units that release transmitter and mediate and transduce neural inputs into mechanical responses. IC-IM appear to be a critical component in these functional units. The physically close association between varicose nerve terminals and ICCs suggests specialised neuro-ICC junctions may be the primary sites of innervation.

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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