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Mechanobiology

The mechanics of crypt morphogenesis

Intestinal organoids have been used to model development of the crypt–villus axis and uncover signalling pathways that govern the stem-cell niche and induce differentiation. Two studies now take advantage of intestinal organoids to measure the mechanical forces that drive morphogenesis of the crypt and fate specification of its resident cells.

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Fig. 1: Anatomy of intestinal epithelium in vivo and in organoids.

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Correspondence to Celeste M. Nelson.

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Nelson, C.M. The mechanics of crypt morphogenesis. Nat Cell Biol 23, 678–679 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-021-00703-z

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