Tales from the crypt.
editorial · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 14597757.
- Also identified by PMC identifier 233116.
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Abstract
Intestinal colonic crypts are derived from a stem cell population located at the base of each crypt. A new analysis of mitochondrial function and of the rates of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation in individual crypts shows that mtDNA mutations arise in stem cells - and at a surprisingly high frequency. Because crypts turn over extremely rapidly (about once per week), somatic mtDNA mutations can "take over the system" and even become homoplasmic, in a manner similar to what has been shown to occur in tumors.
Medical subject headings
- Colon
- DNA, Mitochondrial
- Stem Cells