Atlas of Interstitial Cells of Cajal in the Gastrointestinal Tract

This atlas will illustrate the distribution and morphological features of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) which are the key cells to understanding of the regulatory mechanism of gastrointestinal motility, since ICC act as both pacemaker and as intermediates in neural transmission, and since ICC show specific distribution patterns depending on their anatomical positions. All subtypes of ICC located in the different tissue layers and different levels of the gastrointestinal tract will be revealed by immunohistochemistry for Kit receptors and nerves by using mainly whole-mount stretch preparation of the guinea-pig tissues. Three-dimensional reconstruction of confocal images will particularly help the readers to understand the peculiar arrangement of ICC networks __in situ__ and the correlation between ICC and nerves. Electron micrographs will help illustrate the characteristic features of ICC and their ultrastructural differences from fibroblasts, smooth muscles and other interstitial cells. Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Front Matter....Pages 17-17 Introduction....Pages 1-16 Stomach....Pages 19-30 Small Intestine....Pages 31-51 Duodenum....Pages 53-62 Colon....Pages 63-76 Caecum....Pages 77-80 Ileocaecal Junction....Pages 81-83 ICC Found in the Submucosal Layer....Pages 85-91 Front Matter....Pages 93-93 Ultrastructural Demonstration of ICC....Pages 95-112 Signal Pathways Between Nerves and Muscles Not Mediated by ICC....Pages 113-123 Issues for Future Studies....Pages 125-128 Back Matter....Pages 95-95 Annotation This atlas reviews the distribution and morphological features of interstitial cells of cajal, key to understanding the regulatory mechanism of gastrointestinal motility. It includes three-dimensional reconstruction of confocal images, and electron micrographs Terumasa Komuro. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.