Birth and delineation of the intestinal stem cell niche

Intestinal stem cells are sequestered into crypts generated during postnatal development in mice. During this timeframe, we investigated the transition of the surrounding mesenchymal niche. Using single cell RNA sequencing, we generated transcriptomic libraries from a combination of whole tissue and transgenically labeled fractions, including GFP+ fractions from PdgfraH2BEGFP and GFP-tDt+ fractions from PdgfraH2BEGFP;Myh11CreERT2;Rosa26tDt+ mice, of the intestinal mesenchyme at varying postnatal and adult stages. We found distinct molecular signatures of these cell types, focusing our analysis on the temporal changes and known epithelial trophic factors. Overall design: Examination of mRNA profiles of intestinal mesenchymal cell types.