Lgr5 was originally discovered as a common Wnt target gene in adult intestinal crypts and colon cancer. It was subsequently identified as an exquisite marker of multiple Wnt-driven adult stem cell types. Lgr5 and its homologs, Lgr4 and Lgr6, constitute the receptors for R-spondins, potent Wnt signal enhancers and stem cell growth factors. The Lgr5/R-spondin complex acts by neutralizing Rnf43 an...

Adult stem cells maintain many tissues and organs throughout the life of an organism by serving as renewable sources of differentiated cells. While stem cells remain in a relatively undifferentiated state, their daughters can commit to differentiation to acquire distinct cell fates. Therefore, a stem cell's choice between self-renewal and commitment to differentiation is of critical importance ...

In the past decade, the field of stem cell biology is of major interest among researchers due to its broad therapeutic potential. Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialised cell types. Stem cells can be classified into two main types: adult stem cells (adult tissues) and embryonic stem cells (embryos formed during the blastocyst phase of emb...