Patterns of gene expression along the crypt-villus axis in mouse jejunal epithelium

Abstract

Background There is considerable interest in gene expression along the crypt‐villus axis of the small intestinal epithelium, particularly in the identification of genes expressed in intestinal crypts. Methods In an attempt to identify crypt‐expressed genes, single‐stranded cDNA made from normal mouse jejunal epithelium was used in subtractive hybridization against single‐stranded cDNA from epithelium from which crypt cells were depleted by 2,000 rads of gamma irradiation. Partial DNA sequence and in situ hybridization of 72 resulting clones were determined. Results The sequence of 45 clones matched previously published genes. Gene expression patterns fell into three categories: expression throughout the crypt‐villus axis, expression restricted to the villus, and expression restricted to the crypt. Clones in the first two categories could be further divided into three subgroups: those with uniform expression, those with an increasing gradient of expression, and those with a decreasing gradient of expression along the crypt‐villus axis. Twenty two clones showed a stronger expression in crypt and lower villus cells, four of these were differentially localized to the crypt. Two of the crypt localized clones were uniformly expressed throughout the crypt, expression of one was stronger in the lower crypt, and expression of the remaining clone was enhanced Paneth cells. We report the full‐length cDNA sequence of the Paneth‐cell‐enhanced clone. Conclusions The screen isolated crypt‐expressed genes that may prove useful tools in the study of crypt biology. In a companion report, we characterize one of the crypt clones. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Calcium Channel TRPV6 Expression in Human Duodenum: Different Relationships to the Vitamin D System and Aging in Men and Women

“…(29) The distribution of TRPV6 transcripts in epithelial cells, with higher levels in villous than in crypt enterocytes, is similar in humans to that found in rats (14) and mimics that for many other intestinal transporters. (38) Calcium pump PMCA1 transcripts are similarly distributed, (39) confirming their coupled roles in calcium absorption. TRPV6 is also found in other tissues with obvious functions of vectorial calcium transport such as placenta and mammary glands, and less obvious ones such as prostate and pancreas.…”

Gene expression in TGFbeta-induced epithelial cell differentiation in a three-dimensional intestinal epithelial cell differentiation model

“…The decreased expression of the above-mentioned factors and signaling molecules, such as cathepsin S or MRLP, were similar in our three-dimensional epithelial cell differentiation model to those observed in spontaneously differentiating Caco-2 adenocarcinoma cells [ 8 - 10 , 18 , 20 ]. Also in the mouse cell lines, the genes attending to proliferation and transcription regulation, for example c-myc, have been shown to decrease during differentiation of epithelial cells [ 9 , 21 , 22 ]. In other studies of epithelial differentiation, both in vivo [ 9 ] and in vitro [ 10 , 18 ], the number of down-regulated genes compared to up-regulated genes has not been so prominent as in this study.…”