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Prominin-1(Prom1)/CD133 is used, alone or in combination with other cell surface markers, to identify and isolate stem cells from various adult tissues. We recently identified leucine-rich-repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) as a marker of the intestinal stem cells from which all cellular lineages of the gastrointestinal epithelium are derived. To determine whether there is a relationship between these markers, we investigated the intestinal expression pattern of Prom1/CD133 and created knock-in mice to visualize and trace Prom1⁺ cells.

We analyzed Prom1 mRNA and protein expression among stem cells within intestinal crypts. Prom1/CD133 knock-in mice (Prom1^{-mCherry-IRES-CreERT2} KI) were generated that express a fusion of red fluorescent protein mCherry with the C-terminus of Prom1. The knock-in allele also contains the tamoxifen-inducible CreERT2 …