In Vivo Imaging Reveals Existence of Crypt Fission and Fusion in Adult Mouse Intestine

TY - JOUR

T1 - In Vivo Imaging Reveals Existence of Crypt Fission and Fusion in Adult Mouse Intestine

AU - Bruens, Lotte

AU - Ellenbroek, Saskia I J

AU - van Rheenen, Jacco

AU - Snippert, Hugo J

N1 - Copyright © 2017 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PY - 2017/9

Y1 - 2017/9

N2 - The intestinal epithelium is a repetitive sheet of crypt and villus units with stem cells at the bottom of the crypts. During postnatal development, crypts multiply via fission, generating 2 daughter crypts from 1 parental crypt. In the adult intestine, crypt fission is observed at a low frequency. Using intravital microscopy in Lgr5EGFP-Ires-CreERT2 mice, we monitored individual crypt dynamics over multiple days with single-cell resolution. We discovered the existence of crypt fusion, an almost exact reverse phenomenon of crypt fission, in which 2 crypts fuse into 1 daughter crypt. Examining 819 crypts in 4 mice, we found that 3.5% ± 0.6% of all crypts were in the process of fission, whereas 4.1 ± 0.9% of all crypts were undergoing crypt fusion. As counteracting processes, crypt fission and fusion could regulate crypt numbers during the lifetime of a mouse. Identifying the mechanisms that regulate rates of crypt fission and fusion could provide insights into intestinal adaptation to altered environmental conditions and disease pathogenesis.

AB - The intestinal epithelium is a repetitive sheet of crypt and villus units with stem cells at the bottom of the crypts. During postnatal development, crypts multiply via fission, generating 2 daughter crypts from 1 parental crypt. In the adult intestine, crypt fission is observed at a low frequency. Using intravital microscopy in Lgr5EGFP-Ires-CreERT2 mice, we monitored individual crypt dynamics over multiple days with single-cell resolution. We discovered the existence of crypt fusion, an almost exact reverse phenomenon of crypt fission, in which 2 crypts fuse into 1 daughter crypt. Examining 819 crypts in 4 mice, we found that 3.5% ± 0.6% of all crypts were in the process of fission, whereas 4.1 ± 0.9% of all crypts were undergoing crypt fusion. As counteracting processes, crypt fission and fusion could regulate crypt numbers during the lifetime of a mouse. Identifying the mechanisms that regulate rates of crypt fission and fusion could provide insights into intestinal adaptation to altered environmental conditions and disease pathogenesis.

KW - Animals

KW - Cell Fusion

KW - Female

KW - Homeostasis

KW - Intestinal Mucosa

KW - Intravital Microscopy

KW - Male

KW - Mice

KW - Stem Cells

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.05.019

DO - 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.05.019

M3 - Article

C2 - 28552620

SN - 0016-5085

VL - 153

SP - 674-677.e3

JO - Gastroenterology

JF - Gastroenterology

IS - 3

ER -