β-catenin/Tcf Signaling in Squamous Differentiation of Porcine Airway Epithelial Cells / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

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.