Fig. 2.

Distribution of ICC in human gastric fundus of greater curvature. In HE staining (Aa, Ba, Ca), the whole layers of human gastric fundus from greater curvature can be seen. Oblique muscle layer is prominent in human gastric fundus. In c-Kit immunostaining, we identified c-Kit positive ICC in every muscle layers: longitudinal muscle (Ab), submucosa (Ac), oblique muscle (Ad), myenteric area (Bb), muscularis mucosa (Cb) and circular muscle (Cc). Since we used cryosection for immunohistochemical study, ICC could not be seen as a whole structure. Instead, ICC is seen in long spindle-like (fusiform) shaped cell body and multiple processes from the central cell body, which is especially prominent in (Ab, Ad, Bb). ICC is identified in submucosa, muscularis mucosa and mucosa, too (Ac) and (Cb). Arrow: processes or ramification, arrow head: central cell body, double arrow head: ICC in septa (ICC-SEP).