Gut: Current Research on Isolation or Production of Therapeutic Cells

At the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in San Francisco in 2010, Hans Clevers presented some of his laboratory’s work in a stunning visualization of stem cells found at the base of intestinal crypts. He showed how his lab was able to label these intestinal stem cells with green fluorescent protein (GFP) by knocking in the gene at the Lgr5 gene locus and tracking the cells as they grew. Lgr5 is a member of the Wnt signaling family, and the Clevers lab was thus one of the first to link Wnt signaling with adult stem cell biology.

Using this labeling method and similar methods, Clevers presented striking images that showed how the Lgr5+ stem cells clonally proliferate and differentiate as they migrate up the ...