Aging effects on intestinal homeostasis associated with expansion and dysfunction of intestinal epithelial stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) are critical to maintain intestinal epithelial function and homeostasis. We tested the hypothesis that aging promotes IESC dysfunction using old (18-22 months) and young (2-4 month) Sox9-EGFP IESC reporter mice. Different levels of Sox9-EGFP permit analyses of active IESC (Sox9-EGFP^Low), activatable reserve IESC and enteroendocrine cells (Sox9-EGFP^High), Sox9-EGFP^Sublow progenitors, and Sox9-EGFP^Negative differentiated lineages. Crypt-villus morphology, cellular composition and apoptosis were measured by histology. IESC function was assessed by crypt culture, and proliferation by flow cytometry and histology. Main findings were confirmed in Lgr5-EGFP and Lgr5-LacZ mice. Aging-associated gene expression cha

SUBMITTER: Moorefield EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5611984 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature