<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The homeodomain transcription factor IPF1/PDX1 exerts a dual role in the pancreas; <it>Ipf1/Pdx1 </it>global null mutants fail to develop a pancreas whereas conditional inactivation of <it>Ipf1/Pdx1 </it>in β-cells leads to impaired β-cell function and diabetes. Although several putative target genes have been linked to the β-cell function of <it>Ipf1/Pdx1</it>, relatively little is known with respect to genes regulated by IPF1/PDX1 in early pancreatic progenitor cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Microarray analyses identified a total of 111 genes that were differentially expressed in e10.5 pancreatic buds of <it>Ipf1/Pdx1</it><sup>-/- </sup>embryos. The expression of one of these, <it>Spondin 1</it>, which encodes an extracellular matrix protein, has not previously been described in the pancreas. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analyses and immunohistochemical analyses also revealed that the expression of <it>FgfR2IIIb</it>, that encodes the receptor for FGF10, was down-regulated in <it>Ipf1/Pdx1</it><sup>-/- </sup>pancreatic progenitor cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This microarray analysis has identified a number of candidate genes that are differentially expressed in <it>Ipf1/Pdx1</it><sup>-/- </sup>pancreatic buds. Several of the differentially expressed genes were known to be important for pancreatic progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation whereas others have not previously been associated with pancreatic development.</p