Interstitial cell of Cajal-like cells (ICC-LC) exhibit dynamic spontaneous activity but are not functionally innervated in mouse urethra

Urethral smooth muscle cells (USMC) contract to occlude the internal urethral sphincter during bladder filling. Interstitial cells also exist in urethral smooth muscles and are hypothesized to influence USMC behaviours and neural responses. These cells are similar to Kit⁺ interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), which are gastrointestinal pacemakers and neuroeffectors. Isolated urethral ICC-like cells (ICC-LC) exhibit spontaneous intracellular Ca²⁺ signalling behaviours that suggest these cells may serve as pacemakers or neuromodulators similar to ICC in the gut, although observation and direct stimulation of ICC-LC within intact urethral tissues is lacking. We used mice with cell-specific expression of the Ca²⁺ indicator, GCaMP6f, driven off the endogenous promoter for Kit (Kit-GCaMP6f mice) to identify ICC-LC in situ within urethra muscles and to characterize spontaneous and nerve-evoked Ca²⁺ signalling. ICC-LC generated Ca²⁺ waves spontaneously that propagated on average 40.1 ± 0.7 μm, with varying amplitudes, durations, and spatial spread. These events originated from multiple firing sites in cells and the activity between sites was not coordinated. ICC-LC in urethra formed clusters but not interconnected networks. No evidence for entrainment of Ca²⁺ signalling between ICC-LC was obtained. Ca²⁺ events in ICC-LC were unaffected by nifedipine but were abolished by cyclopiazonic acid and decreased by an antagonist of Orai Ca²⁺ channels (GSK-7975A). Phenylephrine increased Ca²⁺ event frequency but a nitric oxide donor (DEA-NONOate) had no effect. Electrical field stimulation (EFS, 10 Hz) of intrinsic nerves, which evoked contractions of urethral rings and increased Ca²⁺ event firing in USMC, failed to evoke responses in ICC-LC. Our data suggest that urethral ICC-LC are spontaneously active but are not regulated by autonomic neurons.