| Research Abstract |
In stromal tissue of normal or physiological conditions, the existence of the unique anatomical unit of the "neuro-reticular complex", which consisted by reticular stromal cell network connected by gap junctions and terminated by autonomic nerve endings, was studied in variety of human stromal tissue, such as, fallopian tube mucosa, mammary gland, testis, and gallbladder mucosa etc.. The existence was confirmed not only in hematopoietic tissues (bone-bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes) but submandibular gland, thyroid gland and fallopian tub mucosa. Characterization of the stromal fibroblasts was also attempted in the tissues. The distribution of connexins, mainly of connexin 26, --constitutional proteins of gap junction, was studied in melanocytes of human vestibular inner ear. The differentiation of osteoclasts was studied in primitive bone marrow tissue of C3H fetal mice with the development of gap junctions.
Pathological human stromal tissues of epiretinal membrane of highly myopic eyes and lacrimal gland of cGVHD patients suffered dry eyes were studied, in which gap junctions and CD34 positive stromal fibroblasts were assumed to play significant roles. In stromal tissues of malignant tumors and giant cell fibroblastoma, hitherto-not-well-described and unique basal lamina like amorphous extracellular materials were newly found.
The methodological establishment of the in situ hybridization using probes of virus genomes was succeeded to expect future applications of stromal tissue studies.
Characterization of stromal fibroblasts, distribution of the neuro-reticular complex, and CD 34 positive reticular networks etc., were contributed to the comprehensive undeistandings of stromal tissues.
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