DCLK1 and colitis: Interestingly, the conditional knockdown of Apc in Dclk1+ tuft cells is insufficient to drive colonic carcinogenesis under normal conditions; however, DSS-induced colitis induces the development of poorly differentiated colonic adenocarcinoma in mice specifically lacking the Apc gene in Dclk1+ tuft cells [76], suggesting that Dclk1+ tuft cells also act as cancer-initiating cells under specific conditions.