Subtractive hybridization cloning of novel genes differentially expressed during intestinal development

Intestinal genes whose expression is regulated during development and differentiation were identified and cloned from a rat villi cDNA library using a subtracted cDNA probe. The isolated clones are transcribed in the fully differentiated intestinal epithelium 21 days after birth and absent or poorly expressed in the fetal gut at 15 days of gestation. Two of the DRI (differentially-expressed in rat intestine) genes are novel, while the others encode the microvillar protein ezrin and intracellular carrier proteins for retinol and fatty acids. Expression of the newly isolated DRI27 and DRI42 clones parallels epithelial differentiation during development and it is more pronounced in the distal portions of the small intestine. In situ hybridization experiments indicate that the DRI mRNAs are expressed in the differentiated cell types of the gut epithelium. Moreover, the expression of DRI27 and DRI42 is strongly related to the stage of epithelial differentiation during gut development. This relationship holds true also for the expression of DRI42 in other tissues. These clones will be a valuable tool to identify regulatory sequences and factors responsible for confining gene expression to the differentiated epithelial cell types in mammalian small intestine.