Tuft cells in the intestines multiply by dividing when certain immunologic signals are received. Furthermore, differently from progenitor and stem cells, tuft cells are capable of surviving intense injury including irradiation and support the regeneration of epithelium.
That is what researchers from the Organoid group of the Hubrecht Institute discovered using so-called mini-guts, which are small pieces of human intestines grown in a dish.
The results, described in Nature on October 2, 2024, could be used for understanding the process of tissue formation in the intestine after injury.
The human intestine is used to absorb nutrients and synthesise hormones that the body needs. Also, it has an effect of protecting the gut from pathogens. Few of these functions are performed by epithelial cells, which is a layer that forms intestine lining. This epithelial layer is made of several types of cells, one of the cell types is tuft cells.
It is now known that tuft cells serve as reserve stem cells.
The authors of the study also found out that tuft cells have the ability to multiply when they are activated by immunological signals.
When they get such immune signals, tuft cells proliferate to produce more tuft cells and these cells can then transdifferentiate into all epithelial lineages. This way, tuft cells can bring back the damaged gut,” explains Bernink.
It is, however, even more interesting that tuft cells are able to withstand damage due to irradiation. Because stem- and progenitor cells can no longer self-renew after such injury, tuft cells can differentiate into all of the various cell lineages of the intestinal epithelium.
Huang explains, “We also cultured organoids without tuft cells and these organoids could not heal radiation injury.” Tuft cells therefore have a critical function in rehabilitating damaged intestinal tissue.
“Tuft cells are in essence reserve stem cells within the human intestinal epithelium that are mobilised when tissue injury has occurred,” added Bernink. The results may have implications for regenerative medicine, an area of study that aims at the reconstruction of tissues.
”Further investigation of the precise role of human tuft cells in regeneration will be important as well as the study of the role of these cells in other organs such as the liver, urinary tract and lungs,” Huang writes.
Reference:
Hubrecht Institute. Tuft cells act as regenerative stem cells in the human intestine, study finds. Medical Xpress
