Journal of Cell Science 115, e901-e901 (2002)
© 2002 The Company of Biologists Limited
Oesophageal stem cells
Cancer of the oesophageal epithelium is common and usually fatal. The cell
biology of this tissue is therefore an important area of research, the
identification of oesophageal stem cells being of particular relevance. In a
Commentary on p. 1783, John
Seery reviews recent work indicating that the stem cell compartment of this
many-layered tissue is the interpapillary basal layer (IBL), a single layer of
cells attached to the basement membrane that lie between the papillary
structures that regularly invaginate the epithelium. IBL cells have a high
proliferative capacity but divide relatively infrequently in vivo, and they
are `phenotypically primitive'. Moreover, each cell divides asymmetrically to
produce a cell that remains in the same region (another stem cell) and a cell
that enters the layer above and divides more frequently (a transit amplifying
cell that will undergo further division but eventually differentiate). Seery
discusses the biology of these putative oesophageal stem cells in the context
of general stem cell biology, noting unexpected properties not shared by
epidermal stem cells.
Related articles in JCS:
- Stem cells of the oesophageal epithelium
- John P. Seery
JCS 2002 115: 1783-1789.
[Abstract]
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