Colonic Crypts: Safe Haven from Microbial Products.
The notion that the colon's deep crypt pockets provide a protected location that shields stem cells from potentially toxic substances is widely accepted. In this issue of Cell, Kaiko et al. reveal how a metabolite abundantly produced by the gut microbiota can inhibit stem cell proliferation but is blocked from doing so by crypt architecture.
Molecular Cancer Research, Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: h.j.g.snippert@umcutrecht.nl.
Hugo J
HJ
Snippert
D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa; D013234:Stem Cells