Interstitial Cells of Cajal and the Promise of Single Cell Molecular Analysis

The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are pacemaker cells organized in networks located in all layers of the intestines [1,2]. Together with the myenteric neurons and the smooth muscle cells, they comprise the machinery that controls the peristaltic movements [3,4]. However, the individual contribution of smooth muscle and ICC to the different motility patterns present throughout the GI tract is not completely described [5]. This task has proven difficult because of the overlapping mechanisms to produce motility in the gut, as well as the close embryonic and anatomic relationship of ICC and myocites, which underlies the myocyte-like differentiation of ICC after several days in culture [6] impeding the generation of pure ICC cultures and the performance of “bulk” molecular analyses.