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Debate over the identity of an intestinal niche-cell population settled

The cellular microenvironment required to sustain adult intestinal stem cells has long been controversial. Cells that release proteins needed for intestinal-tissue renewal have now been defined.
  1. Linda C. Samuelson

    1. Linda C. Samuelson is in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109–2200, USA.

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The human small intestine and colon are maintained throughout life by tissue-resident stem cells, which renew the gut lining at an astounding rate by generating billions of cells every day. The self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation of these intestinal stem cells are prompted by molecular signals from nearby cells called niche cells. Over the past decade, stem-cell biologists have debated the identity of the intestinal niche cells1. Two papers in Nature (one by Shoshkes-Carmel et al.2 published earlier this year, and the other by Degirmenci et al.3) now identify a niche-cell population that provides a signal essential for stem-cell renewal.

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Nature 558, 380-381 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05281-z

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 16 July 2018: An earlier version of this article indicated that two papers (M. Shoshkes-Carmel et al. Nature 557, 242–246; 2018, and B. Degirmenci et al. Nature 558, 449–253; 2018) solved an outstanding debate — the identify of a stromal-cell population that sends Wnt signals to intestinal stem cells. However, a paper published earlier this year (G. Greicius et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, E3173–E3181; 2018) also identified a stromal-cell source for Wnt signals.

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