Researchers have described a connection between fat consumption in the intestine and stem cell gene regulation in mice models. The two genes (HNF4A and HNF4G) work together to maintain the function of the intestinal lining. In the new study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, found that mice lost intestinal stem cells when these genes were inactivated.
"This is important because scientists have shown that when there's too much dietary fat in the intestine, stem cell numbers increase, boosting susceptibility to colon cancer," said senior author Michael Verzi, an associate professor in the Department of Genetics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.