The Role of Intestinal Stem Cells Paneth Cells in Intestinal Homeostasis and Disease
JIA Liying, CUI Yan, JIN Zhouyu, SONG Hui*
The intestine is one of the most complex organs in the human body responsible for the absorption and digestion of nutrients. The intestine is composed of multiple layers in which the epithelium is a monolayer of columnar epithelial cells and is the first barrier against pathogens. Thus, the intestinal epithelium must maintain the integrity to protect intestine from infection and toxin. Epithelial cells can be separated into two lineages (absorptive and secretory) and then shed into the intestinal lumen every 3-4 days which reside between terminally differentiated Paneth cells at the bottom of the intestinal crypt, differentiating to different epithelial cells along the crypt-villus axis. Once stem cells are injured, Paneth cells will replenish intestinal stem cells rapidly by providing WNT ligands ang Notch stimuli. Therefore, Paneth cells act as helper cells to maintain the stem cells microenvironment, which is called a niche. This review will discuss the interaction between stem cells and Paneth cells further investigate the signaling pathways that maintain intestinal homeostasis.
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