Priority Research Paper Volume 14, Issue 5 pp 2025—2046

Depletion of transmembrane mucin 4 (Muc4) alters intestinal homeostasis in a genetically engineered mouse model of colorectal cancer

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Figure 1. Low MUC4 expression is associated with poor survival in CRC patients. (A) A significant (p < 6.09e-09) upregulation of MUC4 in normal (N=41) and downregulation in CRC patients (N=286) was analyzed in the TCGA-COAD dataset. (B) Increased expression of MUC4 is associated with better overall and disease-free survival in CRC patients’ data sets (GSE 17536 and GSE 17537). (C) Breeding strategy for the generation of a genetically engineered mouse model for Muc4-/- by crossing with Apcflox/flox mice. First-generation of double knockout (Apc-/-;Muc4-/-) animals were further crossed with inducible colon-specific Cre (Cdx2P-Cre ERT2) mice to get final cross (Apc-/-;Muc4-/-;Cdx2P-CreERT2, AMC) and its littermate controls (Apc-/-;Cdx2P-CreERT2, AC). (D) PCR products of Apc and Muc4 and Cdx2-cre animals of genomic DNA. Below, induction of Cre recombination by tamoxifen administration (75 mg/kg body weight, 3x) via intraperitoneally.