Summary
In the present study we have used a variety of techniques in order to investigate cell proliferation in the mucosal crypts at a strictly defined site in the descending colon of the mouse.
The mean crypt length was 31.1 cells, and the mean crypt circumference 22.5 cells, giving a total crypt population of about 700 cells. The corrected mitotic index for the whole crypt column was 1.33%; the labelling index was 11.7% with peak values of about 27% occurring at the bottom of the crypt. Metaphase accumulation following vincristine showed that the birth rate in the whole crypt was 26.5 cells/1000 cells/h. From a consideration of cumulative mitotic index and cumulative birth rate a mitotic duration of 0.39 h was obtained.
Analysis of FLM data gave a cell cycle time for the whole crypt of 15.5 h: from FLM data and observed labelling index a growth fraction for the whole crypt of 29% was obtained. Analysis of FLM data for individual cell position groups at different sites within the crypt indicated that the mean cell cycle time showed little variability and was about 15 to 16 h, whereas the duration of DNA synthesis fell with rising cell positions. Growth fraction too appeared to fall with rising cell position within the crypt.
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de Rodriguez, M.S.B., Sunter, J.P., Watson, A.J. et al. Cell population kinetics in the mucosal crypts of the descending colon of the mouse. Virchows Arch. B Cell Path. 29, 351–361 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02899366
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02899366