Study Published on the Intestinal Stem Cell Niche - Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the Weizmann Institute of Science have published a study on the intestinal stem cell niche in Nature. According to the study, the researchers have identified “subepithelial telocytes as an important source of Wnt proteins, without which intestinal stem cells cannot proliferate and support epithelial renewal.”

**FOXL1+ cells are telocytes and co-express PDGFRα.** Confocal imaging of cleared whole small intestine showing expression of PDGFRα (green) and EPCAM (red). Experiments were repeated at least three times with similar results. Scale bars, 10 µm.

Shoshkes-Carmel, Michal, Yue J. Wang, Kirk J. Wangensteen, Beáta Tóth, Ayano Kondo, Efi E. Massassa, Shalev Itzkovitz, and Klaus H. Kaestner. “Subepithelial Telocytes Are an Important Source of Wnts That Supports Intestinal Crypts.” Nature, May 2, 2018.