Dlx1/2 mutant and wild type FACS-sorted ENCDCs at P0 and E14.5

These experiments were part of a larger study investigating abnormal bowel motility in mice lacking Dlx1 and Dlx2. The purpose of these experiments was to identify genes regulated by Dlx1 and Dlx2 in the enteric nervous system (ENS) of mouse small intestine at multiple developmental stages. For these experiments, we crossed Dlx1/2 wild type and mutant mice with fluorescent reporter strains that labeled ENS, FACS sorted ENS precursor cells, and isolated RNA. Using a q-value cutoff of 0.1, we found 22 dysregulated genes at E14.5 and 5 dysregulated genes at P0, including the gene Vip, which encodes the neurotransmitter vasoactive intestinal peptide. To our knowledge, our study is the first to show a connection between Dlx genes and Vip expression. These findings may be relevant for intestinal diseases such as chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) syndrome. Comparison of gene expression in Dlx1/2-/- (mutant) and Dlx1/2+/+ (WT) small bowel enteric nervous system at two ages, E14.5 and P0.