title: Telocytes heterogeneity: From cellular morphology to functional evidence.
abstract: Telocytes (TCs), located ubiquitously in the internal organs of vertebrates, are a heterogeneous, recently described, cell population of the stromal space. Characterized by lengthy cytoplasmic extensions that can reach tens of microns and are called telopodes (Tps), TCs are difficult to see using conventional microscopes. It was the electron microscopy which led to their first identification and Popescu's team the first responsible for the reconstructions indicating TCs 'organization' in a three-dimensional (3D) network that is believed to be accountable for the complex roles of TCs. Gradually, it became increasingly evident that TCs are difficult to characterize in terms of immunophenotype and that their phenotype is different depending on the location and needs of the tissue at one time. This review discusses the growing body of evidence accumulated since TCs were discovered and highlights how the complex interplay between TCs and stem cells might be of importance for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
authors: Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Histology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 050474, Romania; 'Victor Babes' National Institute of Pathology, Bucharest 050096, Romania.
authors: Dragos
authors: D
authors: Cretoiu
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona 37134, Italy; Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest 050095, Romania.
authors: Beatrice Mihaela
authors: BM
authors: Radu
authors: Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest 050095, Romania.
authors: Adela
authors: A
authors: Banciu
authors: Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest 050095, Romania.
authors: Daniel Dumitru
authors: DD
authors: Banciu
authors: Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Histology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest 050474, Romania; 'Victor Babes' National Institute of Pathology, Bucharest 050096, Romania. Electronic address: sanda@cretoiu.ro.
authors: Sanda Maria
authors: SM
authors: Cretoiu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D048430:Cell Shape; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008954:Models, Biological; D040901:Proteomics; D000067170:Telocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
keywords: Cancer; Immunophenotype heterogeneity; Regenerative medicine; Stem cells; Telocytes