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Updated: May 22, 2026
08:13
Generation, Maintenance, and Characterization of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Intestinal and Colonic Organoids
Published on: July 9, 2021
Genetic control of intestinal stem cell specification and development: a comparative view
Shigeo Takashima1, Volker Hartenstein
1Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Stem Cell Reviews and Reports
|April 25, 2012
Summary
Adult intestinal stem cells (ISCs) regenerate gut tissue and can form tumors. Studying ISC development in Drosophila offers insights into vertebrate stem cell programming and signaling pathways.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Adult intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are crucial for continuous intestinal cell replacement.
- ISCs are also implicated as the origin of intestinal neoplasms.
- Key signaling pathways like Wnt/Wg, Shh/Hh, BMP, and Notch regulate ISC functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review vertebrate intestinal stem cell biology.
- To examine recent studies on intestinal stem cell development in Drosophila.
- To elucidate the programming process of stem cells emerging from embryonic progenitors.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of stem cell development in vertebrates and Drosophila.
- Review of existing literature on ISC biology and signaling pathways.
- Focus on single-cell level analysis in Drosophila models.
Main Results:
- Drosophila offers a simpler system for studying stem cell emergence and niche interactions.
- Conservation of genetic mechanisms controlling stem cell behavior across species.
- Potential for Drosophila findings to inform vertebrate stem cell research.
Conclusions:
- Investigating stem cell development, particularly in Drosophila, is vital for understanding ISC biology.
- Drosophila models facilitate detailed analysis of stem cell emergence, niche interactions, and signaling.
- Insights from Drosophila can significantly advance vertebrate stem cell research and cancer studies.
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Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
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