Related Experiment Videos
Small intestinal development in the young chick: crypt formation and enterocyte proliferation and migration
1Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
Insights
Newly hatched chicks rapidly develop their small intestinal lining. Cell proliferation shifts to crypts within 108 hours post-hatch, establishing a defined zone for cell division and migration.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The chick small intestinal epithelium undergoes significant development post-hatching.
- Understanding the dynamics of epithelial cell proliferation and migration is crucial for comprehending gut development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the post-hatch development of the chick small intestinal epithelium.
- To characterize the changes in cell proliferation and crypt morphology during early post-hatch development.
Main Methods:
- Immunostaining using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to assess cell proliferation.
- Microscopic examination of jejunal crypts and villi at various time points post-hatch.
Main Results:
- Jejunal crypts were small and single at hatching, rapidly developing branching and increased cell numbers/size within 108 hours.
- Initially, nearly all epithelial cells proliferated; by 108 hours post-hatch, over 80% of proliferation was localized to crypts.
- Villus cell transit time, estimated using BrdU, was 72 hours at 48 hours post-hatch and increased to 96 hours by 336 hours.
Conclusions:
- A rapid transition occurs within 108 hours post-hatch from widespread epithelial cell proliferation to a defined proliferative zone in the jejunal crypts.
- This transition involves the establishment of constant cell division and migration within the crypts, leading to mature intestinal architecture.
Abstract:
1. Post-natch mucosal development was examined in the chick small intestinal epithelium using immunostaining with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU). 2. On the day of hatching jejunal crypts were small and a single crypt per villus was observed. However, during the 108 h post-hatch crypts developed rapidly branching and increasing in size, cell numbers and cell size. 3. Almost all epithelial cells in the small intestine of the hatching chick were proliferating, as indicated by PCNA and BrdU, while more than 80% of proliferating cells were localised in the crypts after 108 h post hatch. 4. Estimate of villus cell transit time using BrdU was only possible from 48 h post-hatch when villus transit time was 72 h in the jejunum, whereas at 336 h transit time was 96 h. 5. In the 108 h post hatch a rapid transition occurs from total jejunal epithelial cell proliferation and immature crypts to a defined proliferative zone in the crypts, with constant division and migration.