Conclusions
Telocytes are present in the canine ventricle and express ANO-1. These data merit further study to elucidate the functional expression of these channels in the heart and whether they may be targets for cardiac arrhythmias.
Methods
Myocardium was sampled from the ventricles of five canines. Sections were labeled with anti-Kit and anti-ANO-1 antibodies. Slides were reviewed by four investigators looking at cell morphology, distribution, and co-localization. Identification of telocytes was based on criteria including morphology, Kit positivity (+), and ANO-1 positivity (+).
Results
Clusters of cells meeting criteria for telocytes were seen in the epicardium, sub-epicardium, and mid-myocardium. A small subset of cells that were morphologically similar to myocytes was ANO-1 (+) but Kit (-). In total, three different cell classes were found: (i) Kit (+), ANO-1 (+) cells with the appearance of telocytes; (ii) Kit (+), ANO-1 (-) cells; and (iii) Kit (-), ANO-1 (+) cells with the morphologic appearance of cardiac myocytes. Conclusions: Telocytes are present in the canine ventricle and express ANO-1. These data merit further study to elucidate the functional expression of these channels in the heart and whether they may be targets for cardiac arrhythmias.