Abstract
Prom1/CD133
has been identified in colorectal, hepatocellular, and pancreatic cancer as a cancer stem cell marker and has been used as such to predict colon cancer recurrence in humans. Its potential molecular function as well as its role as a marker of intestinal regeneration is still not fully known. We evaluated the role of
Prom1
in intestinal regeneration in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), determined the function of
Prom1
, and characterized the effect of a lack of
Prom1
on intestinal tumor formation in animal models. Our results suggest that
Apc
mutations lead to an increase in
Prom1
expressing cells in the intestinal crypt stem cell compartment and in early intestinal adenomas. Also,
Prom1
knockout mice are more susceptible to intestinal tumor formation. We conclude that
Prom1
likely plays a role in regulating intestinal homeostasis and that these results clearly illustrate the role of
Prom1
in intestinal regeneration. We further conclude that
Prom1
may provide a novel therapeutic target for patients with gastrointestinal conditions such as IBD, short bowel syndrome, and colorectal cancer.