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Review
. 2012 Aug;22(4):354-60.
doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2012.04.002. Epub 2012 May 19.

Intestinal stem cell function in Drosophila and mice

Affiliations
Review

Intestinal stem cell function in Drosophila and mice

Huaqi Jiang et al. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Epithelial cells of the digestive tracts of most animals are short-lived, and are constantly replenished by the progeny of long-lived, resident intestinal stem cells. Proper regulation of intestinal stem cell maintenance, proliferation and differentiation is critical for maintaining gut homeostasis. Here we review recent genetic studies of stem cell-mediated homeostatic growth in the Drosophila midgut and the mouse small intestine, highlighting similarities and differences in the mechanisms that control stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A) Schematic of a crypt of the adult mammalian small intestine, with villi omitted. B) Schematic of the midgut epithelium of adult Drosophila. EC: enterocyte; EE: Enteroendocrine cell; EB: enteroblast (transient undifferentiated cell); ISC: intestinal stem cell; TA: transient amplifying cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Factors that are known to stimulate ISC maintenance and proliferation in the A) mouse small intestine and B) Drosophila midgut and their cellular sources.

References

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