The Telocytes: Ten Years after Their Introduction in the Scientific Literature. An Update on Their Morphology, Distribution, and Potential Roles in the Gut

Abstract

Ten years ago, the term ‘telocyte’ was introduced in the scientific literature to describe a ‘new’ cell type described in the connective tissue of several organs by Popescu and Faussone-Pellegrini (2010). Since then, 368 papers containing the term ‘telocyte’ have been published, 261 of them in the last five years. These numbers underscore the growing interest in this cell type in the scientific community and the general acceptance of the name telocyte to indicate this interstitial cell. Most of these studies, while confirming the importance of transmission electron microscopy to identify the telocytes with certainty, highlight the variability of their immune phenotypes. This variability was interpreted as due to (i) the ability of the telocytes to adapt to the different sites in which they reside; (ii) the distinct functions they are likely to perform; and (iii) the existence of telocyte subtypes. In the present paper, an overview of the last 10 years of literature on telocytes located in the gut will be attempted, confining the revision to the morphological findings. A distinct chapter will be dedicated to the recently hypothesized role of the telocytes the intestinal mucosa. Through this review, it will be shown that telocytes, despite their variability, are a unique interstitial cell.