title: Regulation of intestinal stem cell fate specification.
abstract: The remarkable ability of rapid self-renewal makes the intestinal epithelium an ideal model for the study of adult stem cells. The intestinal epithelium is organized into villus and crypt, and a group of intestinal stem cells located at the base of crypt are responsible for this constant self-renewal throughout the life. Identification of the intestinal stem cell marker Lgr5, isolation and in vitro culture of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells and the use of transgenic mouse models have significantly facilitated the studies of intestinal stem cell homeostasis and differentiation, therefore greatly expanding our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms underlying the intestinal stem cell fate determination. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of how signals of Wnt, BMP, Notch and EGF in the stem cell niche modulate the intestinal stem cell fate.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Ye-Guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D055153:Stem Cell Niche; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C069077:BMI1 protein, human; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; C116884:LGR5 protein, human; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1