Figure 3. CDX2 overexpression promotes intestinal metaplasia of the transitional basal progenitor cells at the SCJ.
a, CDX2 overexpression in basal cells leads to metaplasia (insert) in the SCJ of Krt5-rtTA; otet-CDX2-T2A-mCherry mice. n=5 per group. b-c, CDX2 overexpression leads to intestinal metaplasia with goblet cells (black arrows) and the loss of p63 protein in some metaplastic cells (white arrows), while the MLE contains p63+ and KRT8+ cells. n=5 per group. d, Metaplastic cells express the intestinal proteins Villin1 and AGR2, and the goblet cell markers MUC2 and TFF3. n=5 per group. e, CDX2 overexpression in KRT7+ cells leads to metaplasia (insert) at the SCJ of Krt7-CreER; R26rtTA; otet-CDX2-T2A-mCherry mice. n=4 per group. f, CDX2 overexpression leads to the loss of p63 protein in the metaplastic epithelium (arrows). Note the presence of MLE with underlying p63+ basal cells and KRT8+ luminal cells. n=4 per group. Scale bar, 50 μm.