Metaplastic epithelial cells: origination from stem cells and promotion of intestinal inflammation

Abstract

In a recent paper published in Nature, Oliver and colleagues report that pyloric gland metaplastic cells within the intestinal epithelium arise from crypt-based stem cells in response to chronic inflammatory irritation.¹ These metaplastic cells to which the authors refer to as INFLAREs exhibit unique transcriptional signatures and promote inflammation-mediated tissue remodeling.