CFTR is a tumor suppressor gene in murine and human intestinal cancer [microarray]

Analysis of the cystic fibrosis gene Cftr in the colon and small intestine of Cftr-deficient murine model. The hypothesis was loss of Cftr altered expression of genes important in intestinal homeostasis and oncogenic signaling pathways. The results identified potential roles of Cftr in up- or down-regulating major gene clusters that belong to groups of immune response, ion channel, intestinal stem cell and other growth regulators. Total RNA was isolated from the normal intestine of three Apc wildtype Cftr wildtype and three Apc Cftr-deficient mice. For the colon intestinal epithelia from the same region of the distal colon of each mouse was separated from the rest of the intestine prior to RNA isolation. Therefore RNA was obtained from only epithelial cells. For the small intestine, a section of the mid-duodenum from each mouse was sheared of villi prior to RNA isolation. Therefore RNA was obtained from whole duodenum (minus villi), containing epithelia cells but also stromal and other cells. RNA Seq was then conducted on all samples, with at least two replicates for each biological sample.