Fig. 2. Loss of epithelial Sprouty2 results in expansion of colonic tuft and goblet cell numbers.

a Deletion of Sprouty2 in Spry2^IEKO mice was confirmed by qPCR and western blot of colonic homogenates. b Tuft (Dclk1, Trpm5, and Il25), c enteroendocrine (Chga), d goblet (Muc2 and Tff3), e stem (Lgr5 and Lrig1), and f absorptive enterocyte (Car2 and Aqp8) markers were measured in Spry2^IEKO colonic homogenates by qPCR. g Tuft (Dclk1⁺; in red), h enteroendocrine (ChgA⁺; in red), and i goblet (Muc2⁺; in red) cells were quantified by immunofluorescence staining of distal colonic sections. Green = E-cadherin. Scale bar = 25 µm. j Proliferation (Ki67+), k apoptosis (TUNEL+), and l crypt length were quantified in distal colons. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Analyzed by two-sided t test. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001; ****p < 0.0001. Exact p values where appropriate are as follows b Dclk1 p = 0.0065; Trpm5 p = 0.0203; Il25 p = 0.0046; d Muc2 p = 0.0124; Tff3 p = 0.0099; g p = 0.0002. Number of mice analyzed, from five independent litters, in each panel as follows: a 16 per group; b Dclk1 19 FF, 14 KO; Trpm5 16 FF, 12 KO; Il25 15 FF, 13 KO; c 14 FF, 9 KO; d Muc2 17 FF, 13 KO; Tff3 17 FF, 13 KO; e, f 14 FF, 9 KO; g 10 FF, 8 KO; h 14 FF, 8 KO; i 7 FF, 7 KO; and j–l 7 FF, 6 KO.