title: Dose-dependent and time-limited proliferation of cultured murine interstitial cells of Cajal in response to stem cell factor.
abstract: Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) play a role as pacemakers for gastrointestinal movement. Although some in vivo experiments showed that the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) and its ligand, stem cell factor (SCF), might be required for the development of murine ICCs near birth, in vitro experiments would be useful to clarify the role of SCF-KIT system for the development of ICCs. We attempted to establish a culture system in order to investigate the proliferation of ICCs. Murine gastrointestinal cells from embryos or neonates were cultured with SCF and stained with anti-KIT antibody and/or alcian-blue. The numbers of KIT+ cells a n d alcian-blue+ cells we re counted, and the number of KIT+.alcian-blue- cells, which represent ICCs was calculated. Clusters containing KIT+ cells were formed in culture. The number of KIT+.alcian-blue- cells from day-18 post coitum embryos increased in response to SCF up to a concentration of 50 ng/ml or for 8 days. The number of cells from day-2 post-partum neonates increased for 4 days, and then remained constant in the presence of SCF. In contrast, the number of cells from day-6 post-partum neonates did not increase and remained constant, even in the presence of SCF. ICCs showed a dose-dependent and time-limited proliferation in response to SCF in the in vitro culture system used here in.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Isozaki
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vanderwinden
authors.forename: Yasuhisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shinomura
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuzawa
mesh_terms: D000423:Alcian Blue; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004064:Digestive System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011247:Pregnancy; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D000423:Alcian Blue