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Vossen C, Schmidt P, Wunderlich CM, Mittenbühler MJ, Tapken C, Wienand P, Mirabella PN, Cabot L, Schumacher AL, Folz-Donahue K, Kukat C, Voigt I, Brüning JC, Fenselau H, Wunderlich FT. An Approach to Intersectionally Target Mature Enteroendocrine Cells in the Small Intestine of Mice. Cells 2024; 13:102. [PMID: 38201306 PMCID: PMC10778503 DOI: 10.3390/cells13010102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) constitute only a small proportion of Villin-1 (Vil1)-expressing intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) of the gastrointestinal tract; yet, in sum, they build the largest endocrine organ of the body, with each of them storing and releasing a distinct set of peptides for the control of feeding behavior, glucose metabolism, and gastrointestinal motility. Like all IEC types, EECs are continuously renewed from intestinal stem cells in the crypt base and terminally differentiate into mature subtypes while moving up the crypt-villus axis. Interestingly, EECs adjust their hormonal secretion according to their migration state as EECs receive altering differentiation signals along the crypt-villus axis and thus undergo functional readaptation. Cell-specific targeting of mature EEC subtypes by specific promoters is challenging because the expression of EEC-derived peptides and their precursors is not limited to EECs but are also found in other organs, such as the brain (e.g., Cck and Sst) as well as in the pancreas (e.g., Sst and Gcg). Here, we describe an intersectional genetic approach that enables cell type-specific targeting of functionally distinct EEC subtypes by combining a newly generated Dre-recombinase expressing mouse line (Vil1-2A-DD-Dre) with multiple existing Cre-recombinase mice and mouse strains with rox and loxP sites flanked stop cassettes for transgene expression. We found that transgene expression in triple-transgenic mice is highly specific in I but not D and L cells in the terminal villi of the small intestine. The targeting of EECs only in terminal villi is due to the integration of a defective 2A separating peptide that, combined with low EEC intrinsic Vil1 expression, restricts our Vil1-2A-DD-Dre mouse line and the intersectional genetic approach described here only applicable for the investigation of mature EEC subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Vossen
- Obesity and Cancer Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Patricia Schmidt
- Obesity and Cancer Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Claudia Maria Wunderlich
- Obesity and Cancer Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Melanie Joyce Mittenbühler
- Obesity and Cancer Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Claas Tapken
- Obesity and Cancer Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Wienand
- Obesity and Cancer Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Paul Nicolas Mirabella
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Research Group Synaptic Transmission in Energy Homeostasis, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Leonie Cabot
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Research Group Synaptic Transmission in Energy Homeostasis, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Schumacher
- FACS & Imaging Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9b, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (A.-L.S.)
| | - Kat Folz-Donahue
- FACS & Imaging Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9b, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (A.-L.S.)
| | - Christian Kukat
- FACS & Imaging Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9b, 50931 Cologne, Germany; (A.-L.S.)
| | - Ingo Voigt
- Transgenic Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9b, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Jens C. Brüning
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Department of neuronal Control of Metabolism, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Henning Fenselau
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Research Group Synaptic Transmission in Energy Homeostasis, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - F. Thomas Wunderlich
- Obesity and Cancer Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Gleueler Strasse 50, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany; (P.N.M.); (J.C.B.); (H.F.)
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
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