Image modified from: N. Barker, Adult intestinal stem cells: critical drivers of epithelial homeostasis and regeneration. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 15 (2014) , p. 19.
WHAT is the fate of epithelial stem cells?
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Stem cells at the crypt base (green) make transit-amplyfying (TA) cells, seen at the lower half of the crypt (middle panel). TA cells divide several times to increase cell numbers
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TA cells then mature (i.e. differentiate) into surface epithelium cells (tree on right panel): goblet cells, enterocytes, enteroendocrine cells, and tuft cells
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The intestinal epithelium ESCs, develop into paneth cells as well
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Epithelial turnover in the colon, shown in the microscope image (left), is every 5-7 days
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​turnover = how fast cells replace themselves
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Colon
(large intestine)
Intestine
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Epithelial turnover in the small intestine is every 3-5 days.
