FIGURE 1:

Selective loss of Dsc2 in IEC does not cause intestinal inflammation at baseline. Dsc2^ERΔIEC mice were treated with tamoxifen to induce acute deletion of Dsc2 in IEC and analyzed 4 wk after the last tamoxifen injection. (A) Representative images of colon tissue stained with anti-Dsc2 antibodies (green) and DAPI (nuclei/blue). Dsc2 expression is absent in the colonic epithelium in Dsc2^ERΔIEC mice compared with control Dsc2^fl/fl mice. Scale bars: 50 μm. (B) Whole colonic tissue was homogenized, proteins were separated by SDS–PAGE, and PVDF membrane was immunoblotted for Dsc2, Dsg2, E-cadherin, and β-actin. Numbers 1–3 represent individual mice. (C, D) Representative images of H&E staining of section of Swiss roll mounts of the entire colon showing the gross mucosal architecture of Dsc2^ERΔIEC vs. Dsc2^fl/fl mice. No signs of alteration of the epithelial barrier nor intestinal inflammation in Dsc2^ERΔIEC (D) in comparison to control mice (C). Scale bars: 200 μm.