Tracing the Generation of Epithelial Cells 1

Tracing the Generation of Epithelial Cells 1

Shinya Imada, Renan Oliveira Corrêa

MIT Department of Biology, Koch Institute at MIT

The image shows a small piece of a mouse intestine. Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are located at the bottom of structures called ‘crypts’ and they are responsible to generate all the other cells in the intestinal epithelium. We used a lineage tracer mouse model, that is the red-color cells represent all the cells generated from Lgr5+ ISCs for a period of two days. The green granules are components of the Paneth cells, which are cells located in between Lgr5+ ISCs, also in the crypts, to support their function. The nucleus of every single cell in this region is shown in blue.

This image was taken to address how many cells would be generated by Lgr5+ ISCs two days after a drug administration. Our research is focused on how dietary condition can change the function of Lgr5+ ISCs. This image can tell us the ability of Lgr5+ ISCs to generate new progenies.

intestinal cells marked in red, blue, and green

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