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Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University in Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University in Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of medicine, University in Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University in Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University in Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Clinic for Pediatrics, University Clinical Center Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Physical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš , Niš , Serbia
Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University in Niš , Niš , Serbia
Anoctamin-1 (ANO1, TMEM16A), a transmembrane protein belonging to the ANO family, plays a role in the formation of calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCCs). It is involved in the regulation of physiological processes, including muscle contraction, gastrointestinal motility, secretion, and electrical excitability. Also, recent data suggest that ANO1 is a specific marker for interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). The aim of the paper was to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of ANO1 in the human stomach, small intestine, and large intestine during embryo-fetal development as a potential marker for the differentiation of ICC and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). As a material, we used samples from 2 embryos and 21 fetuses. The tissue samples were routinely processed into paraffin blocks, and 5 µm-thick sections were immunostained for ANO1. Our results showed that ANO1 expression appeared during the 8th week of embryonic development and persisted through the fetal stages. Epithelial, endothelial, and ICC cells consistently expressed ANO1 in all examined samples. SMCs showed strong ANO1 expression in the muscularis propria; however, by the 25th week, this immunopositivity was absent from the outer muscle layers in the stomach and large intestine. In conclusion, ANO1 can be considered a reliable marker for tracking the differentiation of SMCs and ICC during embryonic and fetal development.
Conceptualization, V.P. and G.R.; Formal Analysis, V.P.; Writing – original draft, V.P.; Writing – review & editing, A.V., M.J. and G.R.; Data curation, J.R. and G.R.; Methodology, B.K., D.M. and V.R.; Supervision, G.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Research reported in this paper was supported by the Project number 451-03-137/2025-03/200113 of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations of the Republic of Serbia and the Internal project of the Faculty of Medicine in Niš (INT-MFN no. 38/20).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
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