Identification of candidate murine esophageal stem cells using a combination of cell kinetic studies and cell surface markers

Abstract

The identification and characterization of esophageal stem cells are critical to our understanding of the biology of the esophageal epithelium in health and disease. However, the proliferative compartment within the mouse esophageal epithelium remains poorly characterized. Here, we report that the basal cells of the mouse esophagus can be separated into three phenotypically and functionally distinct subpopulations based on the expression of α6 integrin and transferrin receptor (CD71). Cells that express high levels of α6 integrin and low levels of CD71, termed α6briCD71dim, are a minor subpopulation of small and undifferentiated cells that are enriched for label-retaining cells and thus repr..