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Barrett esophagus

New insights into the stem cell organization of Barrett esophagus

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 9, page 125 (2012)Cite this article

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New research has demonstrated that Barrett metaplastic glands are clonal and contain multiple stem cells. These findings are important as although Barrett esophagus is known to develop as a result of chronic gastroesophageal reflux, not much is known about the cellular origin of this disease and how it spreads.

Stuart McDonald, Janusz Jankowski and colleagues decided to use mutations in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) as a genetic marker to investigate stem cell organization in Barrett metaplasia. “Only stem cells survive for a sufficient period of time to allow a single mutation in a single copy of mtDNA to divide and become fixed within the cell,” explain the authors. These mtDNA mutations are also useful markers because they do not confer any proliferative or antiapoptotic advantage over neighboring wild-type cells.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Nicholson, A. M. et al. Barrett's metaplasia glands are clonal, contain multiple stem cells and share a common squamous progenitor. Gut doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2011-301174

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  1. Isobel Franks
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Franks, I. New insights into the stem cell organization of Barrett esophagus. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 9, 125 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2012.10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2012.10

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