Morphogenesis of the intestinal epithelium Morphogenesis of the intestinal epithelium. Between 10 and 12 weeks of gestation, the undifferentiated endoderm undergoes a morphological transition from stratified squamous cuboidal cells to a simple, columnar morphology, forming the villus epithelial cells. The crypt-villus axis is established with a stem cell compartment (yellow cells) at the bases of the crypts. Source: Chapter 381. Normal Structure and Function of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e Citation: Rudolph CD, Rudolph AM, Lister GE, First LR, Gershon AA. Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e; 2011 Available at: http://accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/DownloadImage.aspx?image=/data/books/rudo22/rudo22_c381f00006.gif&sec=40335018&BookID=455&ChapterSecID=40310685&imagename= Accessed: January 08, 2018 Copyright © 2018 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved