Intestinal stem cells on hold

摘要

Whether slow-cycling, or quiescent, stem cells co-exist with more rapidly cycling stem cells in the intestinal crypt is a matter of intense debate. Using a new method to trace the lineage of slow-cycling labe retaining cells (LRCs) in vivo, Douglas Winton and colleague have identified a population of LRCs that has features of committed Paneth cells but stili expresses stem-cell markers such as Lgr5. The slow-cycling cells differentiate into Paneth cells without dividing, but they can also repopulate the stem-cell niche and contribute to the regeneration of all intestinal lineages in response to injury. This work suggests that quiescent cells act as a clonogenic reserve that could play a part in the pathology of intestinal cancers and inflammation.