Paracrine endocrinology of cardiac telocytes in culture

Objective: The study aimed to characterize the paracrine cytokines of cardiac telocyte (TC) populations in culture and to investigate their mechanisms in regulating cardiac homeostasis. Methods and Results: We recorded the in vitro evolution of cardiac TCs with typical morphology through live cell imaging, with emphasis on released podomers, podoms, and extracellular vesicles. Paracrine cytokines of the cardiac TCs were quantified by the Quantibody kit, with the focus being on of biological processes such as signal transduction, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and development. The findings in aggregate illustrated that cardiac TCs orchestrated the proliferation of cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) through paracrine action of a panel of cytokines through activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase/Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathway. Conclusion: Cardiac TCs modulated cardiac essential physiology and maintained microvascular EC proliferation through paracrine activity of defined cytokines.