It has been proposed that the Xenopus homeobox gene, XlHbox8, is invol
ved in endodermal differentiation during pancreatic and duodenal devel
opment (Wright, C. V. E., Schnegelsberg, P. and De Robertis, E. M. (19
88). Development 105, 787-794). To test this hypothesis directly, gene
targeting was used to make two different null mutations in the mouse
XlHbox8 homolog, pdx-1. In the first, the second pdx-1 exon, including
the homeobox, was replaced by a neomycin resistance cassette. In the
second, a lacZ reporter was fused in-frame with the N terminus of PDX-
1, replacing most of the homeodomain. Neonatal pdx-1(-/-) mice are apa
ncreatic, in confirmation of previous reports (Jonsson, J., Carlsson,
L., Edlund, T. and Edlund, H. (1994). Nature 371, 606-609). However, t
he pancreatic buds do form in homozygous mutants, and the dorsal bud u
ndergoes limited proliferation and outgrowth to form a small, irregula
rly branched, ductular tree. This outgrowth does not contain insulin o
r amylase-positive cells, but glucagon-expressing cells are found. The
rostral duodenum shows a local absence of the normal columnar epithel
ial lining, villi, and Brunner's glands, which are replaced by a GLUT2
-positive cuboidal epithelium resembling the bile duct lining. Just di
stal of the abnormal epithelium, the numbers of enteroendocrine cells
in the villi are greatly reduced. The PDX-1/beta-galactosidase fusion
allele is expressed in pancreatic and duodenal cells in the absence of
functional PDX-1, with expression continuing into perinatal stages wi
th similar boundaries and expression levels. These results offer addit
ional insight into the role of pdx-1 in the determination and differen
tiation of the posterior foregut, particularly regarding the prolifera
tion and differentiation of the pancreatic progenitors.