Cell fate specification in gastrointestinal epithelial cells by helix-loop-helix factor Id2

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Gastrointestinal epithelial cells are derived from endoderm, and region-specific endoderm differentiation establishes the functionally distinct organ, esophagus, stomach and caudally positioned intestine. How region-specific epithelial characteristics are generated during development remains poorly understood. I have found that the knockout mice of transcriptional repressor Id2 develop intestinal tumors, and revealed that the tumors are derived from ectopic gastric tissues formed in the small intestine during development. This study demonstrates that Id2 is involved in the cell fate specification of the intestinal epithelial cells through the suppression of the foregut endoderm genes expression.