title: Telocyte's contacts.
abstract: Telocytes (TC) are an interstitial cell type located in the connective tissue of many organs of humans and laboratory mammals. By means of homocellular contacts, TC build a scaffold whose meshes integrity and continuity are guaranteed by those contacts having a mechanical function; those contacts acting as sites of intercellular communication allow exchanging information and spreading signals. Heterocellular contacts between TC and a great variety of cell types give origin to mixed networks. TC, by means of all these types of contacts, their interaction with the extracellular matrix and their vicinity to nerve endings, are part of an integrated system playing tissue/organ-specific roles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine. Research Unit of Histology and Embryology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. Electronic address: mariasimonetta.pellegrini@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Maria-Simonetta
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Faussone-Pellegrini
authors.affiliation: Ultrastructural Pathology, 'Victor Babeș' National Institute of Pathology,99-101 Spl. Independentei, 050096, Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: mihaela.gherghiceanu@ivb.ro.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gherghiceanu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D000067170:Telocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
keywords: The telocytes (TC); heterocellular contacts; homocellular contacts; interstitial cells; mixed networks