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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Establishment of Human Epithelial Enteroids and Colonoids from Whole Tissue and Biopsy
Published on: March 6, 2015
Small intestinal stem cell identity is maintained with functional Paneth cells in heterotopically grafted epithelium
Masayoshi Fukuda1, Tomohiro Mizutani1, Wakana Mochizuki1
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Abstract:
To develop stem cell therapy for small intestinal (SI) diseases, it is essential to determine whether SI stem cells in culture retain their tissue regeneration capabilities. By using a heterotopic transplantation approach, we show that cultured murine SI epithelial organoids are able to reconstitute self-renewing epithelia in the colon. When stably integrated, the SI-derived grafts show many features unique only to the SI but distinct from the colonic epithelium. Our study provides evidence that cultured adult SI stem cells could be a source for cell therapy of intestinal diseases, maintaining their identity along the gastrointestinal tract through an epithelium-intrinsic mechanism.
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