Putative intestinal stem cells

A heterogeneous set of intestinal stem cells markers has been described in intestinal glands but the ultrastructural identity of intestinal stem cells remains unknown. By using electron microscopy, this study demonstrated the presence of cells with stem morphology in the intestinal glands of mice of different ages. These putative intestinal stem cells have large, euchromatic, irregular shaped nucleus, large, visible nucleolus, few ER cisternae and mitochondria. Their morphology is distinct from the morphology of any other intestinal gland cell. Stem cells located at the base of intestinal glands undergo mitosis. This study enhances the hypothesis of a gland (crypt) base columnar cell that gives rise to all the intestinal lineages.