β-catenin/Tcf Signaling in Squamous Differentiation of Porcine Airway Epithelial Cells
- Author:
Wenshu CHEN
1
;
Renliang WU
;
Xi WANG
Author Information
1. 华中科技大学同济医学院附属同济医院
- Keywords:
β-catenin;
squamous differentiation;
airway epithelial cell;
small proline-rich protein
- From:
Journal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Medical Sciences)
2008;28(2):121-124
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
For a preliminary study of the role of β-catenin/Tcf signaling in squamous differentiation of airway (tracheobronchial) epithelial cells, a stable mutant of β-catenin was transfected into primarily cultured porcine airway epithelial cells. Western blotting revealed that exogenous protein was observed in large quantity in cytoplasm and nucleus. When co-transfected with Tcf luciferase reporter plasmids, β-catenin mutant increased the reporter's transcriptional activities. However, mRNA ex pression of a squamous differentiation marker, small proline-rich protein (SPRP), was not elevated, as shown by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. These findings suggest that β-catenin/Tcf signaling may not be directly involved in the squamous differentiation of porcine airway epithelial cells.
