Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the three-dimensional (3D) ultrastructure of interstitial cells (ICs) within the lamina propria of the murine vas deferens and the spatial relationships between epithelial cells and surrounding cells. Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy were performed. ICs within the lamina propria had a flat, sheet-like structure of cytoplasm with multiple cellular processes. In addition, two types of 3D structures that comprised cell processes of flat, sheet-like ICs were observed: one was an accordion fold-like structure and the other was a rod-shaped structure. ICs were located parallel to the epithelium and were connected to each other via gap junctions or adherens junctions. Moreover, multiple sphere-shaped extracellular vesicle-like structures were frequently observed around the ICs. The ICs formed a complex 3D network comprising sheet-like cytoplasm and multiple cell processes with different 3D structures. From this morphological study, we noted that ICs within the lamina propria of murine vas deferens may be involved in signal transmission between the epithelium and smooth muscle cells by physical interaction and by exchanging extracellular vesicles.

Details

Title
Three-dimensional analysis of interstitial cells in the lamina propria of the murine vas deferens by confocal laser scanning microscopy and FIB/SEM
Author
Hiroshige, Tasuku 1 ; Uemura, Kei-Ichiro 1 ; Hirashima, Shingo 2 ; Togo, Akinobu 3 ; Ohta, Keisuke 4 ; Nakamura, Kei-Ichiro 5 ; Igawa, Tsukasa 1 

 Kurume University School of Medicine, Department of Urology, Kurume, Japan (GRID:grid.410781.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 0776) 
 Kurume University School of Medicine, Division Microscopic and Development Anatomy, Department of Anatomy, Kurume, Japan (GRID:grid.410781.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 0776) 
 Kurume University School of Medicine, Advanced Imaging Research Center, Kurume, Japan (GRID:grid.410781.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 0776) 
 Kurume University School of Medicine, Division Microscopic and Development Anatomy, Department of Anatomy, Kurume, Japan (GRID:grid.410781.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 0776); Kurume University School of Medicine, Advanced Imaging Research Center, Kurume, Japan (GRID:grid.410781.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 0776) 
 Kurume University School of Medicine, Cognitive and Molecular Research Institute of Brain Diseases, Kurume, Japan (GRID:grid.410781.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 0776) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2674138467
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.