Abstract
BackgroundTelocytes (TCs) is an interstitial cell with extremely long and thin telopodes (Tps) with thin segments (podomers) and dilations (podoms) to interact with neighboring cells. TCs have been found in different organs, while there is still a lack of TCs-specific biomarkers to distinguish TCs from the other cells.ResultsWe compared gene expression profiles of murine pulmonary TCs on days 5 (TC5) and days 10 (TC10) with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), fibroblasts (Fbs), alveolar type II cells (ATII), airway basal cells (ABCs), proximal airway cells (PACs), CD8+ T cells from bronchial lymph nodes (T-BL), and CD8+ T cells from lungs (T-LL). The chromosome 17 and 18 genes were extracted for further analysis. The TCs-specific genes and functional networks were identified and analyzed by bioinformatics tools. 16 and 10 of TCs-specific genes were up-regulated and 68 and 22 were down-regulated in chromosome 17 and 18, as compared with other cells respectively. Of them, Mapk14 and Trem2 were up-regulated to indicate the biological function of TCs in immune regulation, and up-regulated MCFD2 and down-regulated E4F1 and PDCD2 had an association with tissue homeostasis for TCs. Over-expressed Dpysl3 may promote TCs self-proliferation and cell-cell network forming.ConclusionsThe differential gene expression in chromosomes 17 and 18 clearly revealed that TCs were the distinctive type of interstitial cells. Our data also indicates that TCs may play a dual role in immune surveillance and immune homoeostasis to keep from immune disorder in acute and chronic pulmonary diseases. TCs also participated in proliferation, differentiation and regeneration.ReviewersThis article was reviewed by Qing Kay Li and Dragos Cretoiu.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13062-015-0042-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Telocytes (TCs) is an interstitial cell with extremely long and thin telopodes (Tps) with thin segments and dilations to interact with neighboring cells
Telocytes (TCs) have been proposed as a new type of interstitial cells with extremely long telopodes (Tps), which were recognized in different organs, such as trachea and lung [1,2], oesophagus [3], intestine [4], liver [5], kidney [6], heart [7,8], skin [9], eyes [10], urinary tract [11]
We revealed features and patterns of genes in chromosomes 1 by comparing gene expression profiles of murine pulmonary TCs, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), Fbs, alveolar type II cells (ATII), airway basal cells (ABCs), proximal airway cells (PACs), CD8+ T cells from bronchial lymph nodes (T-BL), and CD8+ T cells from lungs (T-LL) by global analyses [27]
Summary
Telocytes (TCs) is an interstitial cell with extremely long and thin telopodes (Tps) with thin segments (podomers) and dilations (podoms) to interact with neighboring cells. Telocytes (TCs) have been proposed as a new type of interstitial cells with extremely long telopodes (Tps), which were recognized in different organs, such as trachea and lung [1,2], oesophagus [3], intestine [4], liver [5], kidney [6], heart [7,8], skin [9], eyes [10], urinary tract [11], Wang et al Biology Direct (2015) 10:9 ultrastructural feature - a small nucleated body and extremely long Tps with podomers and podoms by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) [20]. We compared genes expression profiles of murine TCs with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and fibroblasts (Fbs) and proteomic profiles of human lung TCs and Fbs to explore TC-specific markers and their biological function [24,25]. Features and patterns of TCs-specific genes in other chromosomes have not been uncovered, and potential function of TCs still remained unclear
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
