タイトル：
Mechanisms of gastric tissue differentiation and the control of homeostasis
講演者：
Akira Kurisaki, Nara Institute of Science and Technology
The adult stomach performs digestive functions through various specialized cell types, including parietal cells that secrete gastric acid, chief cells that produce digestive enzymes, and pit cells that secrete large amounts of mucus to protect the luminal surface of the stomach lining. We established a differentiation culture system that enables the generation of gastric mini-tissues from pluripotent stem cells, providing an in vitro model to investigate the mechanisms underlying gastric differentiation.
Furthermore, focusing on stem cells in the adult stomach, we explored candidate signaling pathways regulating the differentiation of adult gastric epithelial stem cells by performing pseudotime-dependent gene enrichment analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data from adult gastric tissue. Using these candidate factors, we conducted differentiation assays on gastric epithelial stem cells isolated and expanded from adult gastric tissue. Our results revealed that EGFR–ERK signaling promotes differentiation into pit cells, whereas NF-κB signaling maintains gastric progenitor cells in an undifferentiated state.
In this seminar, I will introduce these mechanisms controlling gastric differentiation and discuss the fundamental principles underlying gastric epithelial homeostasis.
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