Project description:To identify transcriptional changes during the development of the small intestine, we performed scRNAseq using MULTI-seq on 86,845 cells collected from embryos at E13.5-E18.5. We additionally identified transcriptional changes along the proximal-distal axis of the small intestine by isolating RNA from 2.5mm fragments of the tissue that had been cut along this axis. Mice were collected from Pdgfra-H2BGFP mice to enrich for mesenchymal populations.
Project description:Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) have important functions in regulation of motor activity in the gastrointestinal tract. In murine small intestine ICC are gathered in the region of the myenteric plexus (ICC-MY) and within the deep-muscular plexus near the submucosal surface of the circular muscle layer (ICC-DMP). These two classes of ICC have different physiological functions. ICC-MY are pacemaker cells and generate the slow wave electrical rhythmicity of gastrointestinal organs. ICC-DMP form synaptic connections with the varicose nerve terminals of enteric motor neurons and are involved in reception and transduction of motor neurotransmission. In the present study we used recently developed highly selective techniques to isolate the two classes of ICC from enzymatically dispersed intestinal muscles by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Transcriptional expression of the two functional classes was investigated using DNA microarray analysis. Keywords: comparative transcriptional profiling