Distinct processes and transcriptional targets underlie CDX2 requirements in intestinal stem cells and differentiated villus cells

To define target genes of the intestine-restricted transcription factor (TF) CDX2 in intestinal stem cells, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq).We used RNA-sequencing to profile gene expression changes during cell differentiation from mouse intestinal stem cells to mature villus cells, as well as genes perturbed in intestinal stem cells upon loss of Cdx2. We find thousands of genes that change in expression during cell differentiation, including known stem cell and mature markers. Upon loss of Cdx2, hundreds of genes are up and down-regulated in intestinal stem cells, some of which are also bound by CDX2 nearby and constitute candidate direct target genes.