Telocytes (TCs) are a type of interstitial cell with specific, long cytoplasmic extensions, called the telopods. This master's thesis aimed to find specific molecular markers of telocytes in the mouse urinary bladder to determine their immunophenotype. We also analysed the ultrastructure of TC (using TEM), their spatial orientation in the lamina propria (using light microscopy), and their proliferative activity (by Ki-67 immunofluorescence labelling). In all these cases, we also sought to identify potential differences between the normal and the chronically inflamed mouse urinary bladders. In a normal urinary bladder, TCs are arranged in thin layers parallel to the urothelial axis, whereas in the chronically inflamed bladder, they are disorganized and oriented in different directions. Regarding TEM analysis of the ultrastructure of TCs, we observed differences between normal and inflamed bladders in terms of telopode shape and the amount of intracellular and extracellular vesicles. Using immunofluorescent and immunogold labelling, we determined CD34, Cx43, eNOS, ENTPD2, PDGFRβ, and P2X4 as specific molecular markers of TCs. Based on double immunolabelling of these markers, we distinguished three subpopulations of TCs in the normal urinary bladder, which show differential expression of eNOS, CD34, and P2X4, while all three express
Cx43, ENTPD2, and PDGFRβ. The proliferative activity was more intense in TCs of the chronically inflamed than in the normal mouse urinary bladders.
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