Editorial
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World J Gastroenterol. Jan 28, 2012; 18(4): 295-301
Published online Jan 28, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i4.295
Physiological and pathological role of local and immigrating colonic stem cells
Ferenc Sipos, Gábor Valcz, Béla Molnár
Ferenc Sipos, Gábor Valcz, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary
Béla Molnár, Molecular Medicine Research Unit, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Author contributions: Sipos F and Valcz G contributed to the writing and revising of this paper; Molnár B revised and edited the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Ferenc Sipos, MD, PhD, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary. dr.siposf@gmail.com
Telephone: +36-20-4780752 Fax: +36-1-2660816
Received: May 4, 2011
Revised: June 27, 2011
Accepted: July 4, 2011
Published online: January 28, 2012
Abstract

The latest avenue of research is revealing the existence of and role for the colonic stem cells in the physiological renewal of the mucosa and in pathological circumstances where they have both positive and negative effects. In the case of human colon, different levels of stem cell compartments exist. First, the crypt epithelial stem cells, which have a role in the normal crypt epithelial cell dynamics and in colorectal carcinogenesis. Close to the crypts, the second layer of stem cells can be found; the local subepithelial stem cell niche, including the pericryptic subepithelial myofibroblasts that regulate the epithelial cell differentiation and have a crucial role in cancer progression and chronic inflammation-related fibrosis. The third level of stem cell compartment is the immigrating bone-marrow-derived stem cells, which have an important role in wound healing after severe mucosal inflammation, but are also involved in cancer invasion. This paper focuses on stem cell biology in the context of physiological and pathological processes in the human colon.

Keywords: Colon; Mesencyhmal stem cells; Bone marrow; Myofibroblast; Fibrosis; Colorectal cancer; Parathyroid hormone; Transforming growth factor-β