Everything has its time: Id2 clocks embryonic specification of Lgr5+ gut stem cells

Abstract

While adult intestinal stem cells and their niche are well characterised, their developmental specification is still poorly understood. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Nigmatullina et al (2017) show that maturation of Lgr5⁺ progenitors in the small intestinal epithelium during murine embryonic development is controlled by the transcription factor Id2.