Dose-dependent and time-limited proliferation of cultured murine interstitial cells of Cajal in response to stem cell factor

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) play a role as pacemakers for gastrointestinal movement. Although some in vivo experiments showed that the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) and its ligand, stem cell factor (SCF), might be required for the development of murine ICCs near birth, in vitro experiments would be useful to clarify the role of SCF-KIT system for the development of ICCs. We attempted to establish a culture system in order to investigate the proliferation of ICCs. Murine gastrointestinal cells from embryos or neonates were cultured with SCIF and stained with anti-KIT antibody and/or alcianblue. The numbers of KIT+ cells and alcian-blue(+) cells were counted, and the number of KIT+ alcian-blue(-) cells, which represent ICCs was calculated. Clusters containing KIT+ cells were formed in culture. The number of KIT+ alcian-blue(-) cells from day-18 post coitum embryos increased in response to SCIF up to a concentration of 50 ng/mI or for 8 days. The number of cells from day-2 postpartum neonates increased for 4 days, and then remained constant in the presence of SCE In contrast, the number of cells from day-6 post-partum neonates did not increase and remained constant, even in the presence of SCE ICCs showed a dose-dependent and time-limited proliferation in response to SCIF in the in vitro culture system used here in. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.