title: Interstitial cells of Cajal in the gastrointestinal musculature of W(jic) c-kit mutant mice.
abstract: Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) generate electrical rhythmicity and transduce neural signals in the gastrointestinal musculature. ICC express the proto-oncogene c-kit, a receptor tyrosine kinase, and are identified morphologically by c-Kit immunoreactivity. The c-kit gene is allelic with the murine white-spotting locus W, and mutations of c-kit are known as W mutations. W mutations affect various developmental aspects of hematopoietic cells, germ cells, melanocytes, mast cells and ICC. We examined W(jic)/W(jic) mutant mice that have a mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain resulting in severe loss of protein function. W(jic)/W(jic) homozygotes exhibited white coats and black eyes. The gross morphology of the gastrointestinal tract showed no abnormality in mutant mice other than a forestomach papilloma. In the stomach, intramuscular ICC (ICC-IM) were missing, and myenteric ICC (ICC-MY) were reduced in number. In the small intestine, the number of ICC-MY was severely reduced; however there was a normal distribution of deep muscular plexus ICC (ICC-DMP). In the cecum, the numbers of ICC-IM and ICC-MY were severely depleted. ICC-IM were almost entirely absent in the colon, whereas ICC-MY loss was restricted to the distal colon. Patterns of ICC deficiency were generally similar between W(jic)/W(jic) mice and W/W(v) mutants, which lack a specific type of ICC. The enteric nervous system of the mutant mice appeared normal. From these findings, we conclude that W(jic)/W(jic) mice represent a distinct, novel genotype resulting in a lack of a specific type of ICC in the gastrointestinal musculature.
authors: Department of Morphological and Physiological Sciences, University of Fukui, Japan. iinosa@u-fukui.ac.jp
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Iino
authors: Satomi
authors: S
authors: Horiguchi
authors: Kazuhide
authors: K
authors: Horiguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D056885:Interstitial Cells of Cajal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit