Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P10721 (c-kit)
 6,575 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) drive the slow wave-associated contractions in the small intestine. A commonly used marker for these cells is c-Kit, but another marker named Ano1 was recently described. This study uses single-cell RT-PCR, qPCR and immunohistochemistry to determine if Ano1 could be reliably used as a molecular marker for ICC in single-cell mRNA analysis. Here, we report on the relationship between the expression of c-Kit and Ano1 in single ICC in culture. We observed that Ano1 is expressed in more than 60% of the collected cells, whereas c-Kit is found only in 22% of the cells (n = 18). When we stained ICC primary cultures for c-KIT and ANO1 protein, we found complete co-localization in all the preparations. We propose that this difference is due to the regulation of c-Kit mRNA in culture. This regulation gives rise to low levels of its transcript, while Ano1 is expressed more prominently in culture on day 4. We also propose that Ano1 is more suitable for single-cell expression analysis as a marker for cell identity than c-Kit at the mRNA level. We hope this evidence will help to validate and increase the success of future studies characterizing single ICC expression patterns.
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PMID:Ano1 is a better marker than c-Kit for transcript analysis of single interstitial cells of Cajal in culture. 2533 68

Bowel inflammatory fibrosis has been largely investigated, but an integrated assessment of remodelling in inflamed colon is lacking. This study evaluated tissue and cellular changes occurring in colonic wall upon induction of colitis, with a focus on neuromuscular compartment. Colitis was elicited in rats by 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (DNBS). After 6 and 21 days, the following parameters were assessed on paraffin sections from colonic samples: tissue injury and inflammatory infiltration by histology; collagen and elastic fibres by histochemistry; HuC/D, glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), nestin, substance P (SP), von Willebrand factor, c-Kit and transmembrane 16A/Anoctamin1 (TMEM16A/ANO1) by immunohistochemistry. TMEM16A/ANO1 was also examined in isolated colonic smooth muscle cells (ICSMCs). On day 6, inflammatory alterations and fibrosis were present in DNBS-treated rats; colonic wall thickening and fibrotic remodelling were evident on day 21. Colitis was associated with both an increase in collagen fibres and a decrease in elastic fibres. Moreover, the neuromuscular compartment of inflamed colon displayed a significant decrease in neuron density and increase in GFAP/PCNA-positive glia of myenteric ganglia, enhanced expression of neural SP, blood vessel remodelling, reduced c-Kit- and TMEM16A/ANO1-positive interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs), as well as an increase in TMEM16A/ANO1 expression in muscle tissues and ICSMCs. The present findings provide an integrated view of the inflammatory and fibrotic processes occurring in the colonic neuromuscular compartment of rats with DNBS-induced colitis. These morphological alterations may represent a suitable basis for understanding early pathophysiological events related to bowel inflammatory fibrosis.
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PMID:An integrated assessment of histopathological changes of the enteric neuromuscular compartment in experimental colitis. 2552 Dec 39