Telocyte

Interstitial cells Telocytes are a type of interstitial (stromal) cells with very long (tens to hundreds of micrometres) and very thin prolongations (mostly below the resolving power of light microscopy) called telopodes. Figure 1. Human non-pregnant myometrium in cell culture; day 3; the first passage. Giemsa staining. One TC establishing contacts with a myocyte by a Tp of about 65 mm long. Photographic composition of 4 serial phase contrast images; original magnification 40x. In red rectangles, a higher magnification clearly shows the moniliform aspect; at least 40 specific dilations (podoms) interconnected by thin segments (podomeres) are visible in a ‘beadlike’ fashion. Figure 2. Digitally coloured TEM image shows TC (blue) in human subepicardium, bordering the peripheral cardiomyocytes (CM, highlighted in brown). The TC has three telopodes, illustrating: a) the distinctive dichotomous pattern of branching (arrows); b) Tp are very thin at the emergence of the cell body; c) alternating podoms and podomeres. Note that some portions of podomeres have the same thickness as collagen fibrills, which make them impossible to be observed under light microscopy. E - elastin Scale bar