ArticleCellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology2026
Protocadherin 20 Is a POU Class 2 Homeobox 3 Target Gene Required for Proper Tuft Cell Microvillus Organization.
Article in Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Integrative host transcriptomic and mucosal microbiome profiling reveals region-specific host-microbiome associations across the human intestine.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
20 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND &
aimsTuft cells play protective roles in infection, inflammation, and tumorigenesis through the secretion of cytokines and eicosanoids. Tuft cells are known for their tall, blunt microvilli, thought to be analogous to mechanosensory hair cell stereocilia; however, a functional role for the microvillar apparatus has not been identified. POU Class 2 Homeobox 3 (POU2F3) is the master regulator transcription factor for tuft cells, yet how POU2F3 drives formation of this unique structure is unknown. Here, we aimed to identify POU2F3 target genes and commonalities between tuft and hair cells to better understand this unique structure.
methodsPOU2F3 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing was performed on tuft cells and compared with the hair cell transcriptome. Tuft cell RNA sequencing datasets were interrogated for hair cell structural and mechanosensory genes; expression was validated. Intestinal and gallbladder tuft cells were examined using multiple light and electron microscopy modalities. Protocadherin 20 (PCDH20) was knocked down in mouse models, and ultrastructural analyses were performed. The tuft cell cytoskeleton was modeled using AlphaFold3 prediction.
resultsGenes encoding structural and mechanosensory proteins common to both tuft and hair cells, including Pcdh20, were identified. Imaging localized PCDH20 to tuft cell microvilli and hair cell stereocilia. Genetic ablation of Pcdh20 in mice resulted in structural defects in tuft cell microvilli, including loss of rigidity and organization. Molecular modeling suggests PCDH20 homodimers link adjacent microvilli.
conclusionsPcdh20 is a POU2F3 target gene in tuft cells, critical to maintain the rigid microvillar apparatus. These findings, together with the shared expression of mechanosensory components like transmembrane channel-like protein 1, support the hypothesis that tuft cells could have mechanosensory capabilities analogous to cochlear hair cells.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.