Gene Expression Analysis of Fezf1 Mutant Main Olfactory Epithelium

Mice lacking the transcription factor Fezf1 exhibit defects in the structural and molecular organiztion of their olfactory system. To invetigate this at the level of gene expression, we isolated Fezf1 expressing cells by FACS from the MOE of Fezf1+/- or Fezf1-/- animals and compared their gene expression profiles. The targeted Fezf1 allele contains an EGFP coding sequence under control of the endogenous Fezf1 promoter. We utilized this to isolate Fezf1+/- or Fezf1 -/- cells from the microdissected MOE tissue of E18.5 mouse embryos. Total RNA was isolated from these cells and gene expression examined by Affymetrix 1.0 ST array.