Mex3a Regulates Lgr5+ Stem Cell Maintenance in the Developing Intestinal Epithelium

    February 2020 in “ EMBO Reports ”
    Bruno Pereira, Ana Luísa Amaral, Alexandre Dias, Nuno Mendes, Vanesa Muncan, Ana R Silva, Chantal Thibert, A Radu, Leonor David, Valdemar Máximo, Gijs R. van den Brink, Marc Billaud, Raquel Almeida
    TLDR MEX3A is crucial for maintaining intestinal stem cells in mice.
    The study found that the RNA-binding protein MEX3A was essential for maintaining Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) in mice during postnatal development. Using a Mex3a knockout mouse model, researchers observed that the absence of MEX3A led to disrupted epithelial turnover, impaired intestinal crypt development, and a significant reduction in Lgr5+ ISCs and transit-amplifying cells. Transcriptomic analysis showed that Mex3a deletion activated the PPARγ pathway and decreased Wnt signaling, resulting in the loss of the Lgr5+ stem cell signature. This highlighted a new post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism crucial for intestinal homeostasis, with MEX3A being necessary for normal crypt development.
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