title: Lgr5(+) gastric stem cells divide symmetrically to effect epithelial homeostasis in the pylorus.
abstract: The pyloric epithelium continuously self-renews throughout life, driven by limited reservoirs of resident Lgr5+ adult stem cells. Here, we characterize the population dynamics of these stem cells during epithelial homeostasis. Using a clonal fate-mapping strategy, we demonstrate that multiple Lgr5+ cells routinely contribute to epithelial renewal in the pyloric gland and, similar to what was previously observed in the intestine, a balanced homeostasis of the glandular epithelium and stem cell pools is predominantly achieved via neutral competition between symmetrically dividing Lgr5+ stem cells. Additionally, we document a lateral expansion of stem cell clones via gland fission under nondamage conditions. These findings represent a major advance in our basic understanding of tissue homeostasis in the stomach and form the foundation for identifying altered stem cell behavior during gastric disease.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leushacke
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galle
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loeffler
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barker
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008954:Models, Biological; D011708:Pylorus / Q000166:cytology*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C493597:Lgr5 protein, mouse; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled