Description
Ablation of the mouse gene for Onecut-2 was reported previously, but characterization of the resulting knockout mice was focused on in utero development, principally embryonic development of liver and pancreas. Here, we examine postnatal development of these Onecut-2 knockout mice, especially the critical period prior to weaning. Microarray technology was used to determine the effect of Onecut-2 ablation on gene expression in duodenum, whose epithelium has among the highest levels of Onecut-2. A subset of intestinally expressed genes showed dramatically altered patterns of expression. Many of these genes encode proteins associated with the epithelial membrane, including many involved in transport and metabolism. Previously, we reported that Onecut-2 was critical to temporal regulation of the adenosine deaminase gene in duodenum. Many of the genes with altered patterns of expression in the Onecut-2 knockout mouse duodenum displayed changes in the timing of gene expression.