iScience (Jun 2024)

Cbl and Cbl-b ubiquitin ligases are essential for intestinal epithelial stem cell maintenance

  • Neha Zutshi,
  • Bhopal C. Mohapatra,
  • Pinaki Mondal,
  • Wei An,
  • Benjamin T. Goetz,
  • Shuo Wang,
  • Sicong Li,
  • Matthew D. Storck,
  • David F. Mercer,
  • Adrian R. Black,
  • Sarah P. Thayer,
  • Jennifer D. Black,
  • Chi Lin,
  • Vimla Band,
  • Hamid Band

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 6
p. 109912

Abstract

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Summary: Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) control stem cell maintenance vs. differentiation decisions. Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (CBL) family ubiquitin ligases are negative regulators of RTKs, but their stem cell regulatory roles remain unclear. Here, we show that Lgr5+ intestinal stem cell (ISC)-specific inducible Cbl-knockout (KO) on a Cblb null mouse background (iDKO) induced rapid loss of the Lgr5Hi ISCs with transient expansion of the Lgr5Lo transit-amplifying population. LacZ-based lineage tracing revealed increased ISC commitment toward enterocyte and goblet cell fate at the expense of Paneth cells. Functionally, Cbl/Cblb iDKO impaired the recovery from radiation-induced intestinal epithelial injury. In vitro, Cbl/Cblb iDKO led to inability to maintain intestinal organoids. Single-cell RNA sequencing in organoids identified Akt-mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway hyperactivation upon iDKO, and pharmacological Akt-mTOR axis inhibition rescued the iDKO defects. Our results demonstrate a requirement for Cbl/Cblb in the maintenance of ISCs by fine-tuning the Akt-mTOR axis to balance stem cell maintenance vs. commitment to differentiation.

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