Intestinal homeostasis is dependent on the continuous production of differentiated epithelial
cells from a sustainable and resilient stem cell compartment. Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a
central role in this process, cooperating with R-spondins, growth factors and regulators of
the TGF-β/BMP pathway to generate a specialized tissue microenvironment that regulates
the intestinal stem cell niche. Recent studies revealed that many of these factors are
produced in a paracrine manner by specialized cell populations that reside in the …