Lgr5-expressing stem cells contribute to the epithelial turnover of the gastric antrum. However, the mechanism controlling the homeostasis of Lgr5+ antral stem cells is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate the key role of E-cadherin in the homeostasis of Lgr5+ gastric antral stem cells. The deletion of E-cadherin in these cells results in their apoptosis, thereby leading to a marked decrease in their number. A reduced Lgr5+ stem cell pool caused by the loss of E-cadherin impairs gastric antral epithelial homeostasis in vivo and organoid growth in vitro. Furthermore, p53 contributes to the apoptosis of Lgr5+ stem cells following E-cadherin loss, while the simultaneous deletion of p53 rescues the phenotype in E-cadherin mutants. Our study reveals the critical pro-survival function of E-cadherin in Lgr5+ gastric antral stem cells and the key role of the Lgr5+ stem cell pool in the maintenance of gastric epithelial homeostasis.
Keywords: E-cadherin; Lgr5+ stem cells; apoptosis; gastric epithelium; homeostasis.