Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Biophysical Journal logoLink to Biophysical Journal
. 1986 Jun;49(6):1223–1227. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(86)83751-1

A test of the stochastic theory of stem cell differentiation.

M Bjerknes
PMCID: PMC1329706  PMID: 3719076

Abstract

Stochastic theories of stem cell renewal are shown to predict turnover of intestinal crypts. While I found ample evidence of production of new crypts from direct in vivo studies in adult mice, I failed to find evidence of crypt loss. Thus, it would appear that the simple stochastic models may not provide an adequate theory of control of intestinal stem cell function.

Full text

PDF
1223

Images in this article

1225FIGURE 1
on p.1225

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Al-Dewachi H. S., Appleton D. R., Watson A. J., Wright N. A. Variation in the cell cycle time in the crypts of Lieberkühn of the mouse. Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol Incl Mol Pathol. 1979;31(1):37–44. doi: 10.1007/BF02889921. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bjerknes M. Assessment of the symmetry of stem-cell mitoses. Biophys J. 1985 Jul;48(1):85–91. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(85)83762-0. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bjerknes M., Cheng H., Erlandsen S. Functional gap junctions in mouse small intestinal crypts. Anat Rec. 1985 Aug;212(4):364–367. doi: 10.1002/ar.1092120407. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cairnie A. B., Millen B. H. Fission of crypts in the small intestine of the irradiated mouse. Cell Tissue Kinet. 1975 Mar;8(2):189–196. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2184.1975.tb01219.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cheng H., Leblond C. P. Origin, differentiation and renewal of the four main epithelial cell types in the mouse small intestine. V. Unitarian Theory of the origin of the four epithelial cell types. Am J Anat. 1974 Dec;141(4):537–561. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001410407. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hendry J. H. A new derivation, from split-dose data, of the complete survival curve for clonogenic normal cells in vivo. Radiat Res. 1979 Jun;78(3):404–414. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Knudson A. G., Jr, Hethcote H. W., Brown B. W. Mutation and childhood cancer: a probabilistic model for the incidence of retinoblastoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Dec;72(12):5116–5120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.12.5116. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mackillop W. J., Ciampi A., Till J. E., Buick R. N. A stem cell model of human tumor growth: implications for tumor cell clonogenic assays. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1983 Jan;70(1):9–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Maskens A. P., Dujardin-Loits R. M. Kinetics of tissue proliferation in colorectal mucosa during post-natal growth. Cell Tissue Kinet. 1981 Sep;14(5):467–477. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2184.1981.tb00553.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. TILL J. E., MCCULLOCH E. A., SIMINOVITCH L. A STOCHASTIC MODEL OF STEM CELL PROLIFERATION, BASED ON THE GROWTH OF SPLEEN COLONY-FORMING CELLS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1964 Jan;51:29–36. doi: 10.1073/pnas.51.1.29. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Vogel H., Niewisch H., Matioli G. The self renewal probability of hemopoietic stem cells. J Cell Physiol. 1968 Dec;72(3):221–228. doi: 10.1002/jcp.1040720309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Yau H. C., Cairnie A. B. Cell-survival characteristics of intestinal stem cells and crypts of gamm-irradiated mice. Radiat Res. 1979 Oct;80(1):92–107. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biophysical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biophysical Society

RESOURCES