title: Intestinal smooth muscle cells locally enhance stem cell factor (SCF) production against gastrointestinal nematode infections.
abstract: Smooth muscle cells can produce stem cell factor (SCF) in the normal state for the preservation of mast cells, but it is still unknown whether smooth muscle cells can enhance SCF production in response to the pathological stimuli. The present study showed that smooth muscle cells in mast cell-increased regions around worm cysts of intestinal nematodes significantly enhanced SCF gene expression compared with mast cell non-increased regions in same sample. SCF gene expression in mast cell non-increased regions in nematode-infected mice showed almost the same level as in non-infected control groups. These results indicate that smooth muscle cells can locally enhance SCF gene expression, and may have a role in local immunological reactions as growth factor-producing cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, Japan. morimasa@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morimoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000276:immunology*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D009351:Nematospiroides dubius / Q000276:immunology*; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D018510:RNA, Helminth; D019089:Stem Cell Factor