Dextran sodium sulfate treatment of wild type and Pirc rats alters colonic normal tissue gene expression

Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) causes inflammation in the gut similar to ulcerative colitis in humans. Patients with ulcerative colitis have increased risk of developing colon cancer. We sought to determine which genes are altered in the normal colonic epithelium, and which changes depend on the Pirc mutation. 97 day old (ACIxF344)F1 wild type and Pirc male rats either untreated or given 4% DSS in the drinking water from 40-47 and 54-61 days of age, housed in 12 hour light:12 dark, ad lib feeding. Normal colonic tissue was collected from the distal colon at 97 days of age.