Foxl1-expressing mesenchymal cells constitute the intestinal stem cell niche.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Intestinal epithelial stem cells that express Lgr5 and/or Bmi1 continuously replicate and generate differentiated cells throughout life¹. Previously, Paneth cells were suggested to constitute an epithelium-intrinsic niche that regulates the behavior of these stem cells². However, ablating Paneth cells has no effect on maintenance of functional stem cells^3-5. Here, we demonstrate definitively that a small subset of mesenchymal, subepithelial cells expressing the winged-helix transcription factor Foxl1 are a critical component of the intestinal stem cell niche.

Methods

We genetically ablated Foxl1⁺ mesenchymal cells in adult mice using two separate models by expressing either the human or simian diphtheria toxin rec

SUBMITTER: Aoki R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4772878 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature