RNA-seq of intestinal crypts vs intestinal smooth muscle with a specific MMP17 deletion compared to wild-type

We wanted to assess the role of a specific smooth muscle protein (MMP17) in two different intestinal compartments, the epithelium (crypts) and the smooth muscle. To do that we isolate intestinal crypts from wild-type (WT) and knockout (KO, Mmp17-/-) mice, and obtained clean strips of smooth muscle. After muscle dissociation, we obtained RNA directly from crypts and muscle, and it was used for RNA-seq. By comparing WT and KO samples we observed a higher impact in gene expression affecting crypts, even though MMP17 is only expressed in muscle. This helped us to identify altered signaling pathways in KO crypts that linked MMP17 with SMAD4 and BMP signaling.