Telocyte Networks: Integrating Histogenetic Processes in Health and Disease

Telocytes were described in 2010 as a distinct type of interstitial cells involved in the organization of the stroma of various organs. These cells have very long prolongations (telopodes) that can interact with other telocytes to form complex three-dimensional networks within organs. Telocyte networks play an important role in the maintenance of various tissues, in particular by providing a stem cell niche as well as by creating conditions for the differentiation of some cells. The ability to affect cells of different cell types within an organ allows telocyte networks to regulate various histogenetic processes, playing the role of a kind of “system integrators” that unite physically separated cellular components into a single system. This review provides a systematic overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the role of telocyte networks in the organization of specific tissues and their integration into a unified system during both embryonic development and adult state as well as during the development of pathological processes.