Cell https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.063 (2018)

The position of enterocytes along the villus correlates with their age, exposure to morphogen gradients and hypoxia. In Cell, Moor et al. analyze the transcriptome of microdissected epithelial samples spanning the length of a villus in the mouse jejunum to establish a panel of landmark genes, which they then use to map enterocytes, analyzed by single-cell RNA sequencing, in the geography of the villus. The data reveal the regional and functional heterogeneity of enterocytes in the villus. The biosynthetic capacity of enterocytes decreases gradually as they migrate toward the top. Cells at the bottom, just above the crypt intestinal stem cell niche, express genes encoding antimicrobial molecules, such as Reg3g and Lypd8. The middle shows enrichment for transporters for amino acids and carbohydrates, while the upper part of the villus shows enrichment for cholesterol transporters. The cells at the tip express an immunomodulatory program, including the ectonucleosidase CD73, and genes encoding molecules involved in the organization of tight junctions. This pattern of expression is confirmed by proteomics analysis.