Immunohistochemical characterization of interstitial cells and their spatial relationship to motor neurons within the mouse esophagus.

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and PDGFRα cells regulate smooth muscle motility in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, yet their function in the esophagus remains unknown. The mouse esophagus has been described as primarily skeletal muscle; however, ICC  have been identified in this region. This study characterizes the distribution of skeletal and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and their spatial relationship to ICC, PDGFRα cells, and intramuscular motor neurons in the mouse esophagus.

Immunohistochemical characterization of interstitial cells and their relationship to motor neurons within the mouse esophagus.

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and PDGFRα cells regulate smooth muscle motility in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, their role(s) in esophageal motility are still unclear. The mouse esophagus has traditionally been described as almost entirely skeletal muscle in nature though ICC have been identified along its entire length.

Modulation of intracellular calcium activity in interstitial cells of Cajal by inhibitory neural pathways within the internal anal sphincter.

The internal anal sphincter (IAS) functions to maintain continence. Previous studies utilizing mice with cell-specific expression of GCaMP6f revealed two distinct subtypes of intramuscular interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC-IM) with differing Ca activities in the IAS. The present study further examined Ca activity in ICC-IM and its modulation by inhibitory neurotransmission.

Ca signalling in interstitial cells of Cajal contributes to generation and maintenance of tone in mouse and monkey lower oesophageal sphincters.

The lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) generates tone and prevents reflux of gastric contents. LES smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are relatively depolarised, facilitating activation of Ca 1.2 channels to sustain contractile tone.

A novel intramuscular Interstitial Cell of Cajal is a candidate for generating pacemaker activity in the mouse internal anal sphincter.

The internal anal sphincter (IAS) generates phasic contractions and tone. Slow waves (SWs) produced by interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) underlie phasic contractions in other gastrointestinal regions. SWs are also present in the IAS where only intramuscular ICC (ICC-IM) are found, however the evidence linking ICC-IM to SWs is limited.

Rhythmic calcium transients in smooth muscle cells of the mouse internal anal sphincter.

Background: The internal anal sphincter (IAS) exhibits slow waves (SWs) and tone that are dependent upon L-type Ca channels (Cav ) suggesting that phasic events (ie, SWs) play a fundamental role in tone generation. The present study further examined phasic activity in the IAS by measuring the spatiotemporal properties of Ca transients (CTs) in IAS smooth muscle cells (SMCs).

Methods: Ca transients were recorded with spinning disk confocal microscopy from the IAS of SM-GCaMP mice.

β-adrenergic-mediated dynamic augmentation of sarcolemmal Ca 1.2 clustering and co-operativity in ventricular myocytes.

Key Points: Prevailing dogma holds that activation of the β-adrenergic receptor/cAMP/protein kinase A signalling pathway leads to enhanced L-type Ca 1.2 channel activity, resulting in increased Ca influx into ventricular myocytes and a positive inotropic response. However, the full mechanistic and molecular details underlying this phenomenon are incompletely understood.

Ground State Depletion Super-resolution Imaging in Mammalian Cells.

Advances in fluorescent microscopy and cell biology are intimately correlated, with the enhanced ability to visualize cellular events often leading to dramatic leaps in our understanding of how cells function. The development and availability of super-resolution microscopy has considerably extended the limits of optical resolution from ~250-20 nm. Biologists are no longer limited to describing molecular interactions in terms of colocalization within a diffraction limited area, rather it is now possible to visualize the dynamic interactions of individual molecules.

The role of Ca-activated Cl current in tone generation in the rabbit corpus cavernosum.

Rabbit corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (RCCSM) cells express ion channels that produce Ca-activated Cl () current, but low sensitivity to conventional antagonists has made its role in tone generation difficult to evaluate. We have reexamined this question using two new generation blockers, T16A-A01 and CaCC-A01. Isolated RCCSM cells were studied using the perforated patch method.