Notch signals control the fate of immature progenitor cells in the intestine.
The Notch signalling pathway plays a crucial role in specifying cellular fates in metazoan development by regulating communication between adjacent cells. Correlative studies suggested an involvement of Notch in intestinal development. Here, by modulating Notch activity in the mouse intestine, we directly implicate Notch signals in intestinal cell lineage specification. We also show that Notch activation is capable of amplifying the intestinal progenitor pool while inhibiting cell differentiation. We conclude that Notch activity is required for the maintenance of proliferating crypt cells in the intestinal epithelium.
Fre
Silvia
S
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA.
Huyghe
Mathilde
M
Mourikis
Philippos
P
Robine
Sylvie
S
Louvard
Daniel
D
Artavanis-Tsakonas
Spyros
S
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051881:Receptor, Notch1; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072056:Transcription Factor HES-1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019426:Integrases; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051881:Receptor, Notch1; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D000072056:Transcription Factor HES-1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014764:Viral Proteins; C500943:Atoh1 protein, mouse; C489734:Hes1 protein, mouse; C407737:Neurog3 protein, mouse; C497762:Notch1 protein, mouse; C045073:Cre recombinase