Balancing signals in the intestinal niche

Abstract

During intestinal regeneration, opposing gradients of Wnt and BMP signaling ensure successful differentiation along the crypt/villus axis. In this issue of The EMBO Journal , Horiguchi et al ( ) show how intestinal subepithelial myofibroblasts can influence cell fate decisions in the regenerating intestine via autocrine secretion of angiopoietin‐like protein 2 ( ANGPTL 2).