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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Feb 22.
Published in final edited form as: Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1124:3–46. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-5895-1_1

Table 1.1.

Nomenclature for ICC in the GI tract

Anatomical location Common name Organ distribution Functions
Plane of the myenteric plexus between circular and longitudinal muscle layers ICC-MYa STM, SI, CLN Pacemaker activity, innervated by motor neurons in CLN
Intramuscular localization, within muscle bundles and in close contact with varicose processes of enteric motor neurons ICC-IMb ESG (smooth muscle portion),
STM, SI, CLN		 Express receptors for and provide transduction for neurotransmitters released by enteric motor neurons; mediators of responses to stretch
Intramuscular-type ICC within plane of the deep muscular plexus in small intestine ICC-
DMPc 		SI Express receptors for and provide transduction for neurotransmitters released by enteric motor neurons
Submucosal border of circular muscle layer ICC-SM CLN, STM Pacemaker activity in CLN; limited number
of cells in STM and function of STM cells unknown
Serosal surface of longitudinal muscle layer ICC-SS CLN Unknown function at present time
Septal spaces between muscle bundles in larger animals ICC-SEP STM, SI, CLN Appear to be extensions of ICC-MY or ICC-SM networks and actively propagate
slow waves in thicker GI muscles of large
mammals and humans

Organ abbreviations: Esophagus (ESG); stomach (STM); small intestine (SI); colon (CLN)

a

Also referred to as ICC-MP by some authors, but this is misleading because these cells do not penetrate and are not part of the myenteric plexus. They are distributed around the ganglia and tertiary plexus

b

Some authors have broken this term down to specify in which muscle layer the cells are found (e.g., ICC-CM for cells in the circular muscle layer and ICC-LM for cells in the longitudinal muscle layer). Since no functional differences have been reported for the cells in these different locations, the term ICC-IM is used throughout this chapter

c

ICC-DMP are most likely the ICC-IM of the small intestine. They show a distinctive localization in laboratory animals and have received considerable experimental attention, so they are designated separately. Larger animals tend to have ICC-IM distributed through the circular muscle layer, as observed in the stomach and colon of laboratory animals.