title: The functional morphology and role of cardiac telocytes in myocardium regeneration.
abstract: Key morphological discoveries in recent years have included the discovery of new cell populations inside the heart called cardiac telocytes. These newly described cells of the connective tissue have extremely long cytoplasmic processes through which they form functionally connected three-dimensional networks that connect cells of the immune system, nerve fibers, cardiac stem cells, and cardiac muscle cells. Based on their functions, telocytes are also referred to as "connecting cells" or "nurse cells" for cardiac progenitor stem cells. In this critical review, we provide a summary of the latest research on cardiac telocytes localized in all layers of the heart - from the historical background of their discovery, through ultrastructural, immunohistochemical, and functional characterizations, to the application of this knowledge to the fields of cardiology, stem cell research, and regenerative medicine.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova Street 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Medical Biology, Genetics and Clinical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova Street 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Lubos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Danisovic
authors.affiliation: c Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Odbojarov Street 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kyselovic
authors.affiliation: d Institute of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova Street 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gazova
authors.affiliation: c Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Odbojarov Street 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Musil
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova Street 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miko
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova Street 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polak
keywords: cellules semblables aux cellules interstitielles de Cajal; functional morphology; interstitial Cajal-like cells; morphologie fonctionnelle; myocarde; myocardium; regeneration; régénérescence; telocytes; télocytes