Ultrastructural features and possible functional role of kit-positive interstitial cells in the guinea pig corpus cavernosum

The objective of the present study was to identify kit-positive interstitial cells (ICs) in guinea pig corpus cavernosum and examine their relationships with adjacent smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and intramural nerves. In addition, we investigated the possible involvement of ICs in nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (CCSM). ICs were identified by their immunoreactivity to the kit receptor, a cell surface marker encoded by c-kit proto-oncogene and specific for interstitial cells of Cajal. ICs were abundantly distributed in guinea pig corporal tissues. Ultrastructural investigation by conventional transmission electron microscopy revealed the ultrastructural features of ICs and gap junctions located between ICs and adjacent SMCs, furthermore, a close contact between ICs and intramural nerves for the first time. Western blot analysis of purified ICs by fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed coexpression of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)α1, sGCβ1 and kit receptor tyrosine kinase protein in them. These observations imply that ICs express the NO-sensitive sGC molecule and may be involved in the NO-mediated relaxation of CCSM in the guinea pig corpus cavernosum.