Extensive jejunal injury is repaired by migration and transdifferentiation of ileal enterocytes in zebrafish.

A major cause of intestinal failure (IF) is intestinal epithelium necrosis and massive loss of enterocytes, especially in the jejunum, the major intestinal segment in charge of nutrient absorption. However, mechanisms underlying jejunal epithelial regeneration after extensive loss of enterocytes remain elusive. Here, we apply a genetic ablation system to induce extensive damage to jejunal enterocytes in zebrafish, mimicking the jejunal epithelium necrosis that causes IF. In response to injury, proliferation and filopodia/lamellipodia drive anterior migration of the ileal enterocytes into the injured jejunum. The migrated fabp6 ⁺ ileal enterocytes transdifferentiate into fabp2 ⁺ jejunal enterocytes to fulfill the regeneration, consisting of dedifferentiation to precursor status followed by redifferentiation. The dedifferentiation is activated by the IL1β-NFκB axis, whose agonist promotes regeneration. Extensive jejunal epithelial damage is repaired by the migration and transdifferentiation of ileal enterocytes, revealing an intersegmental migration mechanism of intestinal regeneration and providing potential therapeutic targets for IF caused by jejunal epithelium necrosis. [Display omitted] • The zebrafish intestinal injury model mimics mammalian intestinal failure • Ileal enterocytes migrate and transdifferentiate to nascent jejunal enterocytes • The passive and active migration drive movements of ileal enterocytes to jejunum • The transdifferentiation of ileal enterocytes is activated by the IL1β-NFκB axis Wei et al. identify an intestinal regenerative mechanism that is fulfilled by intestinal intersegmental cell migration in combination with transdifferentiation. After extensive damage to jejunal enterocytes, ileal enterocytes migrate and transdifferentiate to nascent jejunal enterocytes, and this transdifferentiation is driven by the IL1β-NFκB axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]