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Naser AN, Xing T, Tatum R, Lu Q, Boyer PJ, Chen YH. Colonic crypt stem cell functions are controlled by tight junction protein claudin-7 through Notch/Hippo signaling. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024. [PMID: 38598500 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The tight junction protein claudin-7 is essential for tight junction function and intestinal homeostasis. Cldn7 deletion in mice leads to an inflammatory bowel disease-like phenotype exhibiting severe intestinal epithelial damage, weight loss, inflammation, mucosal ulcerations, and epithelial hyperplasia. Claudin-7 has also been shown to be involved in cancer metastasis and invasion. Here, we test our hypothesis that claudin-7 plays an important role in regulating colonic intestinal stem cell function. Conditional knockout of Cldn7 in the colon led to impaired epithelial cell differentiation, hyperproliferative epithelium, a decrease in active stem cells, and dramatically altered gene expression profiles. In 3D colonoid culture, claudin-7-deficient crypts were unable to survive and form spheroids, emphasizing the importance of claudin-7 in stem cell survival. Inhibition of the Hippo pathway or activation of Notch signaling partially rescued the defective stem cell behavior. Concurrent Notch activation and Hippo inhibition resulted in restored colonoid survival, growth, and differentiation to the level comparable to those of wild-type derived crypts. In this study, we highlight the essential role of claudin-7 in regulating Notch and Hippo signaling-dependent colonic stem cell functions, including survival, self-renewal, and differentiation. These new findings may shed light on potential avenues to explore for drug development in colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amna N Naser
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Tiaosi Xing
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
- Neural and Behavioral Science Department, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rodney Tatum
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Qun Lu
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Philip J Boyer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Yan-Hua Chen
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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