Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10891440 | Stem Cell Research | 2009 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
Markers of gastrointestinal (GI) stem cells remain elusive. We employed synchrotron Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy to derive mid-infrared (IR) spectra along the length of human GI crypts. Tissue sections (10-μm thick) were floated onto BaF2 windows and image maps were acquired of small intestine and large bowel crypts in transmission mode with an aperture of â¤Â  10 μm Ã 10 μm. Counting upwards in a step-size (â¤Â 10 μm) fashion from the crypt base, IR spectra were extracted from the image maps and each spectrum corresponding to a particular location was identified. Spectra were analyzed using principal component analysis plus linear discriminant analysis. Compared to putative crypt base columnar/Paneth cells, those assigned as label-retaining cells were chemically more similar to putative large bowel stem cells and, the small intestine transit-amplifying cells were closest to large bowel transit-amplifying cells; interestingly, the base of small intestine crypts was the most chemically-distinct. This study suggests that in the complex cell lineage of human GI crypts, chemical similarities as revealed by FTIR microspectroscopy between regions putatively assigned as stem cell, transit-amplifying and terminally-differentiated facilitates identification of cell function.
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Authors
Michael J. Walsh, Azzedine Hammiche, Tariq G. Fellous, James M. Nicholson, Marine Cotte, Jean Susini, Nigel J. Fullwood, Pierre L. Martin-Hirsch, Malcolm R. Alison, Francis L. Martin,