Home LiteratureArticle Details
PMID: 24326621 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

Adult intestinal stem cells: critical drivers of epithelial homeostasis and regeneration.

Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology ·Vol. 15 ·No. 1 ·2014-01-00 ·Pages 19-33

Barker N

Abstract

Small populations of adult stem cells are responsible for the remarkable ability of the epithelial lining of the intestine to be efficiently renewed and repaired throughout life. The recent discovery of specific markers for these stem cells, together with the development of new technologies to track endogenous stem cell activity in vivo and to exploit their ability to generate new epithelia ex vivo, has greatly improved our understanding of stem cell-driven homeostasis, regeneration and cancer in the intestine. These exciting new insights into the biology of intestinal stem cells have the potential to accelerate the development of stem cell-based therapies and ameliorate cancer treatments.

MeSH Terms
Adult Stem Cells/physiology Animals Cell Lineage Epithelial Cells/physiology Homeostasis Humans Intestinal Mucosa/cytology,physiology Models, Biological Regeneration Stem Cell Niche
Authors & Affiliations
1 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Barker Nick
A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology, 8A Biomedical Grove, 06-06 Immunos, 138648 Singapore. MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK. Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 117596 Singapore.
References (123)
123 references, click to expand
  1. Prominin 1 marks intestinal stem cells that are susceptible to neoplastic transformation.
    Nature. 2009 Jan 29;457(7229):603-7 PMID: 19092805
  2. Clonal analysis of intestinal crypt populations in mouse aggregation chimaeras.
    J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1985 Feb;85:121-30 PMID: 3989447
  3. Isolation and in vitro expansion of human colonic stem cells.
    Nat Med. 2011 Sep 04;17(10):1225-7 PMID: 21892181
  4. Mouse telomerase reverse transcriptase (mTert) expression marks slowly cycling intestinal stem cells.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jan 4;108(1):179-84 PMID: 21173232
  5. Tumour suppressor RNF43 is a stem-cell E3 ligase that induces endocytosis of Wnt receptors.
    Nature. 2012 Aug 30;488(7413):665-9 PMID: 22895187
  6. ER stress causes rapid loss of intestinal epithelial stemness through activation of the unfolded protein response.
    Cell Rep. 2013 Apr 25;3(4):1128-39 PMID: 23545496
  7. Wnt signaling in the intestinal epithelium: from endoderm to cancer.
    Genes Dev. 2005 Apr 15;19(8):877-90 PMID: 15833914
  8. Scanning electron microscopy of isolated epithelium of the murine gastrointestinal tract: morphology of the basal surface and evidence for paracrinelike cells.
    Am J Anat. 1986 Sep;177(1):43-53 PMID: 3776888
  9. Cell dynamics in fetal intestinal epithelium: implications for intestinal growth and morphogenesis.
    Development. 2011 Oct;138(20):4423-32 PMID: 21880782
  10. Identifying the stem cell of the intestinal crypt: strategies and pitfalls.
    Cell Stem Cell. 2012 Oct 5;11(4):452-60 PMID: 23040474
  11. Origin, differentiation and renewal of the four main epithelial cell types in the mouse small intestine. IV. Paneth cells.
    Am J Anat. 1974 Dec;141(4):521-35 PMID: 4440634
  12. Tissue-resident adult stem cell populations of rapidly self-renewing organs.
    Cell Stem Cell. 2010 Dec 3;7(6):656-70 PMID: 21112561
  13. Identification of Lgr5-independent spheroid-generating progenitors of the mouse fetal intestinal epithelium.
    Cell Rep. 2013 Oct 31;5(2):421-32 PMID: 24139799
  14. Single Lgr5 stem cells build crypt-villus structures in vitro without a mesenchymal niche.
    Nature. 2009 May 14;459(7244):262-5 PMID: 19329995
  15. Examining the role of Paneth cells in the small intestine by lineage ablation in transgenic mice.
    J Biol Chem. 1997 Sep 19;272(38):23729-40 PMID: 9295317
  16. Transcription factor achaete scute-like 2 controls intestinal stem cell fate.
    Cell. 2009 Mar 6;136(5):903-12 PMID: 19269367
  17. Analysis of the clonal architecture of the human small intestinal epithelium establishes a common stem cell for all lineages and reveals a mechanism for the fixation and spread of mutations.
    J Pathol. 2009 Mar;217(4):489-96 PMID: 19156773
  18. Lgr5 homologues associate with Wnt receptors and mediate R-spondin signalling.
    Nature. 2011 Jul 04;476(7360):293-7 PMID: 21727895
  19. Optimality in the development of intestinal crypts.
    Cell. 2012 Feb 3;148(3):608-19 PMID: 22304925
  20. Origin, differentiation and renewal of the four main epithelial cell types in the mouse small intestine. III. Entero-endocrine cells.
    Am J Anat. 1974 Dec;141(4):503-19 PMID: 4216261
  21. Spindle orientation bias in gut epithelial stem cell compartments is lost in precancerous tissue.
    Cell Stem Cell. 2010 Feb 5;6(2):175-81 PMID: 20144789
  22. Long-term expansion of epithelial organoids from human colon, adenoma, adenocarcinoma, and Barrett's epithelium.
    Gastroenterology. 2011 Nov;141(5):1762-72 PMID: 21889923
  23. Intestinal crypt homeostasis results from neutral competition between symmetrically dividing Lgr5 stem cells.
    Cell. 2010 Oct 1;143(1):134-44 PMID: 20887898
  24. A multicellular approach forms a significant amount of tissue-engineered small intestine in the mouse.
    Tissue Eng Part A. 2011 Jul;17(13-14):1841-50 PMID: 21395443
  25. Dll1+ secretory progenitor cells revert to stem cells upon crypt damage.
    Nat Cell Biol. 2012 Oct;14(10):1099-1104 PMID: 23000963
  26. ZNRF3 promotes Wnt receptor turnover in an R-spondin-sensitive manner.
    Nature. 2012 Apr 29;485(7397):195-200 PMID: 22575959
  27. A comprehensive model of the crypts of the small intestine of the mouse provides insight into the mechanisms of cell migration and the proliferation hierarchy.
    J Theor Biol. 1987 Aug 21;127(4):381-91 PMID: 3328018
  28. Gastrointestinal stem cells. II. Intestinal stem cells.
    Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2005 Sep;289(3):G381-7 PMID: 16093419
  29. DNA methylation dynamics during intestinal stem cell differentiation reveals enhancers driving gene expression in the villus.
    Genome Biol. 2013 May 28;14(5):R50 PMID: 23714178
  30. Lrig1 expression defines a distinct multipotent stem cell population in mammalian epidermis.
    Cell Stem Cell. 2009 May 8;4(5):427-39 PMID: 19427292
  31. Dclk1 distinguishes between tumor and normal stem cells in the intestine.
    Nat Genet. 2013 Jan;45(1):98-103 PMID: 23202126
  32. Mitochondrial DNA mutations are established in human colonic stem cells, and mutated clones expand by crypt fission.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jan 17;103(3):714-9 PMID: 16407113
  33. R-spondins function as ligands of the orphan receptors LGR4 and LGR5 to regulate Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jul 12;108(28):11452-7 PMID: 21693646
  34. The intestinal stem cell markers Bmi1 and Lgr5 identify two functionally distinct populations.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jan 10;109(2):466-71 PMID: 22190486
  35. Intact function of Lgr5 receptor-expressing intestinal stem cells in the absence of Paneth cells.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Mar 6;109(10):3932-7 PMID: 22355124
  36. The intestinal stem cell.
    Genes Dev. 2008 Jul 15;22(14):1856-64 PMID: 18628392
  37. SOX9 is an intestine crypt transcription factor, is regulated by the Wnt pathway, and represses the CDX2 and MUC2 genes.
    J Cell Biol. 2004 Jul 5;166(1):37-47 PMID: 15240568
  38. Continuous cell supply from a Sox9-expressing progenitor zone in adult liver, exocrine pancreas and intestine.
    Nat Genet. 2011 Jan;43(1):34-41 PMID: 21113154
  39. Wip1 phosphatase regulates p53-dependent apoptosis of stem cells and tumorigenesis in the mouse intestine.
    Cell Stem Cell. 2007 Aug 16;1(2):180-90 PMID: 18371349
  40. The pan-ErbB negative regulator Lrig1 is an intestinal stem cell marker that functions as a tumor suppressor.
    Cell. 2012 Mar 30;149(1):146-58 PMID: 22464327
  41. Identification of a putative intestinal stem cell and early lineage marker; musashi-1.
    Differentiation. 2003 Jan;71(1):28-41 PMID: 12558601
  42. Cellular inheritance of a Cre-activated reporter gene to determine Paneth cell longevity in the murine small intestine.
    Dev Dyn. 2005 Aug;233(4):1332-6 PMID: 15937933
  43. Generation of mTert-GFP mice as a model to identify and study tissue progenitor cells.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jul 29;105(30):10420-5 PMID: 18650388
  44. PTEN-deficient intestinal stem cells initiate intestinal polyposis.
    Nat Genet. 2007 Feb;39(2):189-98 PMID: 17237784
  45. Epithelial hedgehog signals pattern the intestinal crypt-villus axis.
    Development. 2005 Jan;132(2):279-89 PMID: 15590741
  46. Activation of two distinct Sox9-EGFP-expressing intestinal stem cell populations during crypt regeneration after irradiation.
    Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2012 May 15;302(10):G1111-32 PMID: 22361729
  47. mTORC1 in the Paneth cell niche couples intestinal stem-cell function to calorie intake.
    Nature. 2012 Jun 28;486(7404):490-5 PMID: 22722868
  48. Identification of a novel putative gastrointestinal stem cell and adenoma stem cell marker, doublecortin and CaM kinase-like-1, following radiation injury and in adenomatous polyposis coli/multiple intestinal neoplasia mice.
    Stem Cells. 2008 Mar;26(3):630-7 PMID: 18055444
  49. The Lgr5 intestinal stem cell signature: robust expression of proposed quiescent '+4' cell markers.
    EMBO J. 2012 Jun 12;31(14):3079-91 PMID: 22692129
  50. Unravelling stem cell dynamics by lineage tracing.
    Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2013 Aug;14(8):489-502 PMID: 23860235
  51. Bmi1 is expressed in vivo in intestinal stem cells.
    Nat Genet. 2008 Jul;40(7):915-20 PMID: 18536716
  52. Origin, differentiation and renewal of the four main epithelial cell types in the mouse small intestine. I. Columnar cell.
    Am J Anat. 1974 Dec;141(4):461-79 PMID: 4440632
  53. The tumor suppressor Apc controls planar cell polarities central to gut homeostasis.
    J Cell Biol. 2012 Aug 6;198(3):331-41 PMID: 22851318
  54. The structural basis of R-spondin recognition by LGR5 and RNF43.
    Genes Dev. 2013 Jun 15;27(12):1345-50 PMID: 23756651
  55. Continuous clonal labeling reveals small numbers of functional stem cells in intestinal crypts and adenomas.
    Cell Stem Cell. 2013 Nov 7;13(5):626-33 PMID: 24035355
  56. Interconversion between intestinal stem cell populations in distinct niches.
    Science. 2011 Dec 9;334(6061):1420-4 PMID: 22075725
  57. Depletion of epithelial stem-cell compartments in the small intestine of mice lacking Tcf-4.
    Nat Genet. 1998 Aug;19(4):379-83 PMID: 9697701
  58. The intestinal epithelial stem cell: the mucosal governor.
    Int J Exp Pathol. 1997 Aug;78(4):219-43 PMID: 9505935
  59. Intestinal epithelial stem cells do not protect their genome by asymmetric chromosome segregation.
    Nat Commun. 2011 Mar 29;2:258 PMID: 21448157
  60. Brief report: musashi1-eGFP mice, a new tool for differential isolation of the intestinal stem cell populations.
    Stem Cells. 2013 Oct;31(10):2273-8 PMID: 23712573
  61. A comprehensive model of the spatio-temporal stem cell and tissue organisation in the intestinal crypt.
    PLoS Comput Biol. 2011 Jan 06;7(1):e1001045 PMID: 21253562
  62. Identification of a cKit(+) colonic crypt base secretory cell that supports Lgr5(+) stem cells in mice.
    Gastroenterology. 2012 May;142(5):1195-1205.e6 PMID: 22333952
  63. Structure of stem cell growth factor R-spondin 1 in complex with the ectodomain of its receptor LGR5.
    Cell Rep. 2013 Jun 27;3(6):1885-92 PMID: 23809763
  64. Sox9 regulates cell proliferation and is required for Paneth cell differentiation in the intestinal epithelium.
    J Cell Biol. 2007 Aug 13;178(4):635-48 PMID: 17698607
  65. AC133, a novel marker for human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
    Blood. 1997 Dec 15;90(12):5002-12 PMID: 9389720
  66. Cdc42 and Rab8a are critical for intestinal stem cell division, survival, and differentiation in mice.
    J Clin Invest. 2012 Mar;122(3):1052-65 PMID: 22354172
  67. Transplantation of expanded fetal intestinal progenitors contributes to colon regeneration after injury.
    Cell Stem Cell. 2013 Dec 5;13(6):734-44 PMID: 24139758
  68. Re-examination of P-PTEN staining patterns in the intestinal crypt.
    Nat Genet. 2005 Oct;37(10):1016-7; author reply 1017-8 PMID: 16195712
  69. Structural basis for R-spondin recognition by LGR4/5/6 receptors.
    Genes Dev. 2013 Jun 15;27(12):1339-44 PMID: 23756652
  70. Mitochondrial DNA mutations in human colonic crypt stem cells.
    J Clin Invest. 2003 Nov;112(9):1351-60 PMID: 14597761
  71. Expansion of intestinal epithelial stem cells during murine development.
    PLoS One. 2011;6(11):e27070 PMID: 22102874
  72. BMP signaling inhibits intestinal stem cell self-renewal through suppression of Wnt-beta-catenin signaling.
    Nat Genet. 2004 Oct;36(10):1117-21 PMID: 15378062
  73. Sox9 expression marks a subset of CD24-expressing small intestine epithelial stem cells that form organoids in vitro.
    Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2010 May;298(5):G590-600 PMID: 20185687
  74. Deduction of the clonogen content of intestinal crypts: a direct comparison of two-dose and multiple-dose methodologies.
    Radiat Res. 1995 Mar;141(3):303-8 PMID: 7871157
  75. Identification of stem cells in small intestine and colon by marker gene Lgr5.
    Nature. 2007 Oct 25;449(7165):1003-7 PMID: 17934449
  76. Renewal of cell populations.
    Physiol Rev. 1956 Apr;36(2):255-76 PMID: 13322651
  77. Cell migration in the small and large bowel shows a strong circadian rhythm.
    Epithelial Cell Biol. 1994;3(4):137-48 PMID: 7550605
  78. The stem-cell zone of the small intestinal epithelium. III. Evidence from columnar, enteroendocrine, and mucous cells in the adult mouse.
    Am J Anat. 1981 Jan;160(1):77-91 PMID: 7211718
  79. Paneth cells constitute the niche for Lgr5 stem cells in intestinal crypts.
    Nature. 2011 Jan 20;469(7330):415-8 PMID: 21113151
  80. Intestinal stem cell replacement follows a pattern of neutral drift.
    Science. 2010 Nov 5;330(6005):822-5 PMID: 20929733
  81. Intestinal label-retaining cells are secretory precursors expressing Lgr5.
    Nature. 2013 Mar 7;495(7439):65-9 PMID: 23446353
  82. Distinct SOX9 levels differentially mark stem/progenitor populations and enteroendocrine cells of the small intestine epithelium.
    Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2009 May;296(5):G1108-18 PMID: 19228882
  83. Growing self-organizing mini-guts from a single intestinal stem cell: mechanism and applications.
    Science. 2013 Jun 7;340(6137):1190-4 PMID: 23744940
  84. A clonal marker induced by mutation in mouse intestinal epithelium.
    Nature. 1988 Jun 2;333(6172):463-6 PMID: 3163778
  85. Redundant sources of Wnt regulate intestinal stem cells and promote formation of Paneth cells.
    Gastroenterology. 2012 Dec;143(6):1518-1529.e7 PMID: 22922422
  86. Immortal strands? Give me a break.
    Cell. 2007 Jun 29;129(7):1244-7 PMID: 17604711
  87. Polyclonal origin of colonic adenomas in an XO/XY patient with FAP.
    Science. 1996 May 24;272(5265):1187-90 PMID: 8638166
  88. Origin, differentiation and renewal of the four main epithelial cell types in the mouse small intestine. II. Mucous cells.
    Am J Anat. 1974 Dec;141(4):481-501 PMID: 4440633
  89. TNF-α-induced intestinal epithelial cell shedding: implications for intestinal barrier function.
    Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Jul;1258:1-8 PMID: 22731709
  90. Origin, differentiation and renewal of the four main epithelial cell types in the mouse small intestine. V. Unitarian Theory of the origin of the four epithelial cell types.
    Am J Anat. 1974 Dec;141(4):537-61 PMID: 4440635
  91. Cell proliferation studies in the intestinal epithelium of the rat. I. Determination of the kinetic parameters.
    Exp Cell Res. 1965 Sep;39(2):528-38 PMID: 5838695
  92. A human colon cancer cell capable of initiating tumour growth in immunodeficient mice.
    Nature. 2007 Jan 4;445(7123):106-10 PMID: 17122772
  93. Prominin-1/CD133 marks stem cells and early progenitors in mouse small intestine.
    Gastroenterology. 2009 Jun;136(7):2187-2194.e1 PMID: 19324043
  94. Single-molecule transcript counting of stem-cell markers in the mouse intestine.
    Nat Cell Biol. 2011 Nov 27;14(1):106-14 PMID: 22119784
  95. Multi-isotope imaging mass spectrometry quantifies stem cell division and metabolism.
    Nature. 2012 Jan 15;481(7382):516-9 PMID: 22246326
  96. Extreme sensitivity of some intestinal crypt cells to X and gamma irradiation.
    Nature. 1977 Oct 6;269(5628):518-21 PMID: 909602
  97. Musashi1-CreER(T2) : a new cre line for conditional mutagenesis in neural stem cells.
    Genesis. 2013 Feb;51(2):128-34 PMID: 23132814
  98. CD133 expression is not restricted to stem cells, and both CD133+ and CD133- metastatic colon cancer cells initiate tumors.
    J Clin Invest. 2008 Jun;118(6):2111-20 PMID: 18497886
  99. Functional intestinal stem cells after Paneth cell ablation induced by the loss of transcription factor Math1 (Atoh1).
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5;109(23):8965-70 PMID: 22586121
  100. LGR4 and LGR5 are R-spondin receptors mediating Wnt/β-catenin and Wnt/PCP signalling.
    EMBO Rep. 2011 Sep 30;12(10):1055-61 PMID: 21909076
  101. Lgr5 intestinal stem cells have high telomerase activity and randomly segregate their chromosomes.
    EMBO J. 2011 Mar 16;30(6):1104-9 PMID: 21297579
  102. Monoclonal antibodies against Lgr5 identify human colorectal cancer stem cells.
    Stem Cells. 2012 Nov;30(11):2378-86 PMID: 22969042
  103. A reserve stem cell population in small intestine renders Lgr5-positive cells dispensable.
    Nature. 2011 Sep 18;478(7368):255-9 PMID: 21927002
  104. The intestinal epithelium tuft cells: specification and function.
    Cell Mol Life Sci. 2012 Sep;69(17):2907-17 PMID: 22527717
  105. Lrig1 controls intestinal stem-cell homeostasis by negative regulation of ErbB signalling.
    Nat Cell Biol. 2012 Mar 04;14(4):401-8 PMID: 22388892
  106. Candidate markers for stem and early progenitor cells, Musashi-1 and Hes1, are expressed in crypt base columnar cells of mouse small intestine.
    FEBS Lett. 2003 Jan 30;535(1-3):131-5 PMID: 12560091
  107. Troy, a tumor necrosis factor receptor family member, interacts with lgr5 to inhibit wnt signaling in intestinal stem cells.
    Gastroenterology. 2013 Feb;144(2):381-391 PMID: 23142137
  108. The stem cells of small intestinal crypts: where are they?
    Cell Prolif. 2009 Dec;42(6):731-50 PMID: 19788585
  109. Functional engraftment of colon epithelium expanded in vitro from a single adult Lgr5⁺ stem cell.
    Nat Med. 2012 Mar 11;18(4):618-23 PMID: 22406745
  110. LGR5 interacts and cointernalizes with Wnt receptors to modulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
    Mol Cell Biol. 2012 Jun;32(11):2054-64 PMID: 22473993
  111. On the biomechanics of stem cell niche formation in the gut--modelling growing organoids.
    FEBS J. 2012 Sep;279(18):3475-87 PMID: 22632461
  112. The clonogen content of murine intestinal crypts: dependence on radiation dose used in its determination.
    Radiat Res. 1992 Oct;132(1):115-9 PMID: 1410267
  113. The Intestinal Wnt/TCF Signature.
    Gastroenterology. 2007 Feb;132(2):628-32 PMID: 17320548
  114. Chimeric-transgenic mice represent a powerful tool for studying how the proliferation and differentiation programs of intestinal epithelial cell lineages are regulated.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Oct 1;90(19):8866-70 PMID: 8415622
  115. An allelic difference determines reciprocal patterns of expression of binding sites for Dolichos biflorus lectin in inbred strains of mice.
    J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1985 Jun;87:229-39 PMID: 4031755
  116. Whole population cell kinetics and postnatal development of the mouse intestinal epithelium.
    Anat Rec. 1985 Apr;211(4):420-6 PMID: 3993991
  117. Molecular properties of adult mouse gastric and intestinal epithelial progenitors in their niches.
    J Biol Chem. 2006 Apr 21;281(16):11292-300 PMID: 16464855
  118. DCAMKL-1 expression identifies Tuft cells rather than stem cells in the adult mouse intestinal epithelium.
    Gastroenterology. 2009 Dec;137(6):2179-80; author reply 2180-1 PMID: 19879217
  119. Derivation of mouse intestinal crypts from single progenitor cells.
    Nature. 1985 Feb 21-27;313(6004):689-91 PMID: 3974703
  120. Doublecortin and CaM kinase-like-1 and leucine-rich-repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor mark quiescent and cycling intestinal stem cells, respectively.
    Stem Cells. 2009 Oct;27(10):2571-9 PMID: 19676123
  121. Paneth cells in intestinal homeostasis and tissue injury.
    PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e38965 PMID: 22745693
  122. Clonal analysis of mouse intestinal epithelial progenitors.
    Gastroenterology. 1999 Jan;116(1):7-14 PMID: 9869596
  123. Mutation selection and the natural history of cancer.
    Nature. 1975 May 15;255(5505):197-200 PMID: 1143315
Article Info
Journal
Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology
Abbr.
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol
ISSN
1471-0080
Published
2014-01-00
Epub
2013-00-11
Pages
19-33
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
100962782
Subset
IM
Analysis Services
Analysis Services

Contact

No. 2 Wenbo Road, Zhangqiu District, Jinan, Shandong

Qilu Normal University · Genelibs Bioinformatics Lab

750 Shunhua Rd, Jinan

2F, Bldg F, University Science Park

Tel: 0531-88819269

WeChat Official Account

Follow our WeChat subscription account for real-time updates and the latest in medical and biological research.


Business Email

E-mail: product@genelibs.com