Endoderm patterning in the mouse embryo

最后的内胚层(DE)是胚胎中的主要胚层之一，产生呼吸道和胃肠道的器官，包括肺、胃、结肠、肠、肝和胰腺的上皮细胞。考虑到这些组织是健康问题的主要部位，包括先天性缺陷、癌症和器官功能障碍，我们对DE的早期胚胎发育知之甚少，令人惊讶。这主要是由于缺乏可用于评估胚胎中DE模式的特定区域表达基因。在寻找新的DE标记时，我们发现了Nephrocan(NEPN)基因，该基因仅在小鼠胚胎的中肠中表达，开始于原肠形成。该基因是已知的最早的中肠内胚层标记。我们正在利用这个基因作为了解肠道形成和模式的窗口。为此，我们建立了一个小鼠系，其中Cre的可诱导版本受NEPN启动子的控制。我们将使用这个小鼠系来鉴定中肠血统的后代，并确定肠道内胚层的可塑性。此外，我们还将探讨SOX转录因子在中肠发育中的作用。

The definitive endoderm (DE), one of the primary germ layers in the embryo, gives rise to the organs of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, including the epithelial cells of the lungs, stomach, colon, intestine, liver, and pancreas. Considering that these tissues are major sites of health problems, including congenital defects, cancers, and organ malfunctions, we know surprisingly little about the early embryonic development of the DE. This is primarily due to a lack of specific regionally expressed genes that can be used to evaluate DE patterning in the embryo. In screen for novel DE markers, we identified the gene Nephrocan (Nepn) that is exclusively expressed in the midgut of the mouse embryo beginning at gastrulation This genes is the earliest known marker of the midgut endoderm. We are using this gene as a window to understand gut formation and patterning. To that end, we have generated a mouse line in which an inducible version of CRE is under the control of the Nepn promoter. We will use this mouse line to identify the decedents of the midgut lineage and determine the plasticity of the gut endoderm. Moreover, we will probe the role of SOX transcription factors in midgut development.