Review Article

Gut Microbial Influences on the Mammalian Intestinal Stem Cell Niche

Figure 2

Regional differences along the small intestinal tract. The proximal-distal axis of the small intestine displays a gradient of various properties. Not only are mirobial loads progressively loads increased toward the ileal end of the intestine, but villus length gradually decreases in this same direction as well. The mechanisms by which luminal microbes could affect such changes in intestinal architecture may involve TLR activation, extracellular vesicles (EVs), metabolic byproducts, and/or other heretofore unspecified direct and indirect on intestinal epithelial stem cells.