Cell plasticity in regeneration in the stomach and beyond

Recent studies using cell lineage-tracing techniques, organoids, and single-cell RNA sequencing analyses have revealed: 1) adult organs use cell plasticity programs to recruit progenitor cells to regenerate tissues after injury, and 2) plasticity is far more common than previously thought, even in homeostasis. Here, we focus on the complex interplay of normal stem cell differentiation and plasticity in homeostasis and after injury, using the gastric epithelium as a touchstone. We also examine common features of regenerative programs and discuss the evolutionarily conserved, stepwise process of paligenosis which reprograms mature cells into progenitors that can repair damaged tissue. Finally, we discuss how conserved plasticity programs may help us better understand pathological processes like metaplasia.