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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neonatology. 2012 Sep 20;103(1):10–20. doi: 10.1159/000342340

Figure 2. Paneth Cells (PCs) – Normal Anatomy and Function.

Figure 2

In addition to their antimicrobial functions, Paneth cells play a vital role regulating the intestinal architecture. A) PCs are located near the vasculature entering and leaving the villi and they regulate blood vessel growth through the secretion of angiogenins and B) PCs are found intertwined with intestinal stem cells in the crypts. PCs are critical to maintaining stem cell homeostasis through Wnt signaling pathways. Cooperation between PCs and stem cells allows orderly regeneration of intestinal surface epithelia on a continuous basis.