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Epithelial GREMLIN1 disrupts intestinal epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk to induce a wnt-dependent ectopic stem cell niche through stromal remodelling

Abstract:
In homeostasis, counterbalanced morphogen signalling gradients along the vertical axis of the intestinal mucosa regulate the fate and function of epithelial and stromal cell compartments. Here, we used a disease-positioned mouse, and human tissue, to explore the consequences of pathological BMP signalling dysregulation on epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. Aberrant pan-epithelial expression of the secreted BMP antagonist Grem1, resulted in ectopic crypt formation with lineage tracing demonstrating the presence of Lgr5(-) stem/progenitor cells. Isolated epithelial cell Grem1 expression had no effect on individual cell fate indicating an intercompartmental impact of mucosal-wide BMP antagonism. Treatment with a novel anti-Grem1 antibody abrogated the polyposis phenotype, and triangulation of specific pathway inhibitors defined a pathological sequence of events, with wnt-ligand dependent ectopic stem cell niches formed through stromal remodelling following BMP disruption. These data support an emerging co-evolutionary model of intestinal cell compartmentalisation based on bidirectional regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal cell fate and function.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1038/s41467-025-60364-6

Authors

More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Sub department:
Centre for Human Genetics
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Sub department:
Centre for Human Genetics
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-2914-4932
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Sub department:
Centre for Human Genetics
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Sub department:
Centre for Human Genetics
Role:
Author


More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/029chgv08
Grant:
206314/Z/17/Z
090532/Z/09/Z
More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/04e3zg361
Grant:
M493
More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/054225q67
Grant:
DRCNPG-Jun22\100002
A26825
A28223
More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/02g2x7380
Grant:
22795
More from this funder
Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/00gxct719
Grant:
GEACC18004TAB


Publisher:
Springer Nature
Journal:
Nature Communications More from this journal
Volume:
16
Issue:
1
Article number:
5167
Publication date:
2025-06-04
Acceptance date:
2025-05-19
DOI:
EISSN:
2041-1723


Language:
English
Pubs id:
2105585
Local pid:
pubs:2105585
Deposit date:
2025-04-07
ARK identifier:

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