ER Stress Causes Rapid Loss of Intestinal Epithelial Stemness through Activation of the Unfolded Protein Response

SummaryStem cells generate rapidly dividing transit-amplifying cells that have lost the capacity for self-renewal but cycle for a number of times until they exit the cell cycle and undergo terminal differentiation. We know very little of the type of signals that trigger the earliest steps of stem cell differentiation and mediate a stem cell to transit-amplifying cell transition. We show that in normal intestinal epithelium, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activity of the unfolded protein response (UPR) are induced at the transition from stem cell to transit-amplifying cell. Induction of ER stress causes loss of stemness in a Perk-eIF2α-dependent manner. Inhibition of Perk-eIF2α signaling results in stem cell accumulation in organoid culture of primary intestinal epithelium. Our findings show that the UPR plays an important role in the regulation of intestinal epithelial stem cell differentiation.

Graphical AbstractFigure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► ER stress is induced at the stem cell to TA cell transition in the intestinal epithelium
► ER stress causes loss of stemness in intestinal epithelial stem cells
► Loss of stemness depends on eIF2alpha signaling
► PERK-eIF2alpha signaling is required for normal stem cell differentiation