Publication Synopsis

Genetic networks responsive to sodium butyrate in colonic epithelial cells.

The goal of the study was to identify the molecular mechanisms by which sodium butyrate stimulates cell growth arrest and differentiation in mouse colonic epithelial cells. DNA microarray analysis was performed to determine gene expression profiles of cells exposed to SB for 0, 16, 12, or 24 hr. IPA functional analyses enabled the researchers to identify biologically relevant networks associated with up-regulated and down-regulated gene clusters. IPA’s Canonical Pathways feature enabled the team to further characterize the metabolic pathways associated with the gene clusters. Exposure to sodium butyrate greatly reduced CCND1 in a time-dependent manner, leading the team to propose a mechanism of action of sodium butyrate involving a network identified by IPA that includes CCND1, PCNA, and BRCA1.