Young Guts

In a rapidly ageing population, understanding how our cells change as we get older has never been more important. In the intestinal epithelium, the lining of our gut, stem cells divide to renew surrounding tissues, but this regeneration slows as we age. Using the ability of cultured intestinal stem cells (ISCs) to form clusters of cells, known as organoids (pictured), as a measure of their regenerative capacity, a recent study revealed that signals from neighbouring Paneth cells (in red) are responsible for this decline. Young ISCs surrounded by old Paneth cells show reduced organoid formation, as older Paneth cells secrete higher levels of Notum, an inhibitor of the critical Wnt signalling pathway required for stem cell activity. By contrast, blocking Notum boosts activity in old ISCs, suggesting that this could be a promising way to stimulate regeneration and thus help intestinal tissues to recover from damage, especially in older patients.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image from work by Nalle Pentinmikko and colleagues
• Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Nature, July 2019