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Comment
. 2001 Oct 23;98(22):12334-6.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.231487198.

The intestinal stem cell niche: there grows the neighborhood

J C Mills  1 , J I Gordon
Affiliations
Comment

The intestinal stem cell niche: there grows the neighborhood

J C Mills et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Erratum in

  • Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001 Nov 20;98(24):14186
No abstract available

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The intestinal stem cell niche. (A) Illustration of the stem cell hierarchy of the crypt. Chimeric mice can be generated by injecting pluripotent embryonic stem cells from one genetic background into blastocysts representing another genetic background. The small intestine of the resulting mouse contains cells representing both genetic backgrounds. The image on the left is a section prepared from the proximal small intestine of an adult chimeric mouse. The finger-shaped villus is supplied with epithelial cells from two adjacent crypts. One crypt is populated entirely by blue-colored epithelial cells representing one genetic background. The other crypt is populated entirely by nonblue cells representing the other genetic background. Crypts do not contain a mixture of cells from both genetic backgrounds. Thus, they are monoclonal, composed of epithelial cells ultimately derived from a single progenitor. This progenitor occupies the highest position in the stem cell hierarchy. The precise number of progenitor-derived multipotent stem cells that are active in each crypt is uncertain. Note that cells from each crypt migrate up the villus in an orderly fashion, forming distinct columns with discrete borders. Migration is completed in 3–5 days. The highly organized migration is illustrated further in the Inset that shows a whole-mount preparation of intestine from a chimeric mouse. Striped villi contain differentiating epithelial cells derived from monoclonal blue crypts and nonblue (white) crypts. (B) Diagrammatic representation of the stem cell niche. An active multipotent stem cell (SC) gives rise to a Co daughter that produces the enterocytic lineage, and to descendants that generate secretory lineages (goblet, Paneth, and enteroendeocrine cells; note it is uncertain whether all are derived from Mo). GLP-2 produced by a subset of enteroendocrine cells is able to stimulate proliferation of the Co daughter via interaction with enteric nervous system neurons that express the GLP-2 receptor (GLP-2R). The nature of the neuronal signal that affects Co is unknown.
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