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Esophageal Stem Cells—A Review of Their Identification and Characterization

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Abstract

The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus has increased faster than any other internal malignancy over the last 40 years. Despite this, surprisingly little is known about the basic biology of this tissue, particularly with regards to the organization of cell proliferation within the epithelium. This is a matter of crucial importance for our understanding of the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer. Nevertheless, significant advances have recently been made in the identification and functional characterization of both murine and human esophageal stem cells and their progeny in recent years. This places investigators in an exciting position to gain further insights into the processes of tissue renewal and repair on the one hand and the development of dysplasia and malignancy on the other.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a postgraduate research scholarship (D.C.) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC), a Surgeon-Scientist Fellowship (D.C.) from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and NHMRC Project Grant #400100 to W.A.P, P.K. & R.J.S.T. The authors would like to thank Diana Lepore, Murdoch Research Institute, Melbourne, for providing the mice carrying the GFP and HMG-LacZ transgenes in cis on the X chromosome [46].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surgical Oncology Research Laboratory, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Locked Bag 1, A’Beckett Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 8006, Australia

    Daniel Croagh, Robert J. S. Thomas & Wayne A. Phillips

  2. Epithelial Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Locked Bag 1, A’Beckett Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 8006, Australia

    Pritinder Kaur

  3. University of Melbourne Department of Surgery, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Victoria Street, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia

    Robert J. S. Thomas & Wayne A. Phillips

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  1. Daniel Croagh
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Correspondence to Pritinder Kaur.

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Wayne Phillips and Pritinder Kaur made equal contributions to this article.

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Croagh, D., Thomas, R.J.S., Phillips, W.A. et al. Esophageal Stem Cells—A Review of Their Identification and Characterization. Stem Cell Rev 4, 261–268 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12015-008-9031-3

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