The role of radiation-induced and spontaneous apoptosis in the homeostasis of the gastrointestinal epithelium: a brief review.

Until fairly recently, investigations into the control of cell production (proliferation) have been the mainstay of studies into the maintenance of mucosal homeostasis and general integrity. However, in addition to proliferation, it is now increasingly evident that programmed cell death, specifically that form of programmed cell death known as apoptosis, is an equally, if not more important, mechanism of regulating mucosal cell number. This review will concentrate on the significance of damage (radiation) induced and spontaneous apoptosis in the maintenance of intestinal epithelial stem cell number and integrity, and its probable link to the level of cancer incidence in the small intestine and colon.

[1]  M. Loeffler,et al.  Stem cells: attributes, cycles, spirals, pitfalls and uncertainties. Lessons for and from the crypt. , 1990, Development.

[2]  U. Paulus,et al.  The crypt cycle in mouse small intestinal epithelium. , 1994, Journal of Cell Science.

[3]  J. Fowler.  Cytotoxic Insult to Tissue , 1983 .

[4]  D. Lane,et al.  p53, guardian of the genome , 1992, Nature.

[5]  S. Korsmeyer,et al.  BCL2 protein is topographically restricted in tissues characterized by apoptotic cell death. , 1991, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[6]  C. Potten.  Perspectives on mammalian cell death. , 1987 .

[7]  K. Nakayama,et al.  Differential expression of bcl-2 in intestinal epithelia. Correlation with attenuation of apoptosis in colonic crypts and the incidence of colonic neoplasia. , 1995, Journal of cell science.

[8]  C. Potten,et al.  Evidence of reciprocity of bcl-2 and p53 expression in human colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. , 1996, British Journal of Cancer.

[9]  C. Potten,et al.  Extreme sensitivity of some intestinal crypt cells to X and γ irradiation , 1977, Nature.

[10]  C J Kemp,et al.  The role of p53 in spontaneous and radiation-induced apoptosis in the gastrointestinal tract of normal and p53-deficient mice. , 1994, Cancer research.

[11]  C. Potten,et al.  A comprehensive study of the radiobiological response of the murine (BDF1) small intestine. , 1990, International journal of radiation biology.

[12]  J. Lee,et al.  bcl-2 and p53 oncoprotein expression during colorectal tumorigenesis. , 1995, Cancer research.

[13]  J. Hendry,et al.  Cell death (apoptosis) in the mouse small intestine after low doses: effects of dose-rate, 14.7 MeV neutrons, and 600 MeV (maximum energy) neutrons. , 1982, International journal of radiation biology and related studies in physics, chemistry, and medicine.

[14]  J. Hendry,et al.  Radiation and gut , 1995 .

[15]  D. Hicks,et al.  BCL-2 expression in human colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. , 1994, Oncogene.