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Cellular and molecular architecture of the intestinal stem cell niche

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Abstract

Intestinal stem and progenitor cells replicate and differentiate in distinct compartments, influenced by Wnt, BMP, and other subepithelial cues. The cellular sources of these signals were long obscure because intestinal mesenchyme was insufficiently characterised. In this Review, we discuss how recent mRNA profiles of mouse and human intestinal submucosa, coupled with fine-resolution microscopy and gene and cell disruptions, reveal a coherent picture of an organised tissue carrying cells with distinct molecular properties and functions.

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Fig. 1: Small intestine mesenchymal architecture.
Fig. 2: Fine resolution of mesenchymal populations.
Fig. 3: Consensus distribution of expressed Wnt and BMP pathway signals in mesenchyme-resident cells.
Fig. 4: Mesenchymal cell functions inferred from organoid co-cultures.

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Acknowledgements

Work on this topic in the authors’ laboratory is supported by NIH awards R01DK121540, U01DK103152, and F32DK118862.

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  1. Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Neil McCarthy, Judith Kraiczy & Ramesh A. Shivdasani

  2. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Neil McCarthy, Judith Kraiczy & Ramesh A. Shivdasani

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McCarthy, N., Kraiczy, J. & Shivdasani, R.A. Cellular and molecular architecture of the intestinal stem cell niche. Nat Cell Biol 22, 1033–1041 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0567-z

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