Mitochondrial function controls intestinal epithelial stemness and proliferation

It is unclear what role mitochondrial function plays in maintaining intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) homeostasis. Here, the authors deplete a mitochondrial chaperone, heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) in IEC and observe a loss of stemness and cell proliferation, and suggest this is accompanied by a compensatory release of WNT-related factors.