Correlating Sox9 Expression Levels with Stem Cell Biomarkers in Colonic Epithelial Cells (2011)

Undergraduate: Giffin Daughtridge

Faculty Advisor: Scott Magness
Department: Biology

---

Sox9 is a transcription factor expressed in stem cell populations of the small intestine and colon. We have demonstrated that different levels of Sox9 mark distinct cell populations in the small intestine. We hypothesize that levels of Sox9 will also mark colonic Intestinal Epithelial Stem Cells (IESCs). We have used a Sox9EGFP transgenic mouse to identify and isolate colonic cells that exhibit multipotency and self-renewal. Sox9 and Sox9EGFP are expressed at higher levels in cells at the base of the colonic crypts. Cells with distinct levels of Sox9EGFP can be FACSed (fluorescence activated cell sorted) and divided into four populations. Gene expression analysis of these four populations demonstrates that cells exhibiting the higher levels of Sox9EGFP are enriched for stemness genes, and genes associated with proliferation, whereas cells expressing lower-levels of Sox9EGFP are enriched for genes associated with post-mitotic cells.