Abstract
β-catenin and c-myc play important roles in the development of tissues and organs. However, little is known about their expression patterns during the development of the human common bile duct. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect β-catenin and c-myc expression in common bile duct samples from postmortem tissues of 14 premature infants and 6 spontaneously aborted fetuses. The expression of β-catenin and c-myc was also analyzed by Western blot. The samples were divided into four groups based on the stage of human fetal development: 12, 13-27, 28-37, and >37 weeks. The Image-Pro Plus v. 6.0 image analysis software was used to calculate the mean qualifying score (MQS). At fetal stages 12, 13-27, 28-37, and >37 weeks, MQS of β-catenin were 612.52±262.13, 818.38±311.73, 706.33±157.19, and 350.69±110.19, respectively. There was a significant difference in MQS among the four groups (ANOVA, P=0.0155) and between the scores at >37 and 13-27 weeks (Student-Newman-Keuls, P<0.05). At fetal stages 12, 13-27, 28-37, and >37 weeks, the MQS of c-myc were 1376.64±330.04, 1224.18±171.66, 1270.24±320.75, and 741.04±219.19, respectively. There was a significant difference in MQS among the four groups (ANOVA, P=0.0087) and between the scores at >37 and 12 weeks, >37 and 13-27 weeks, and >37 and 28-37 weeks (all P<0.05, Student-Newman-Keuls). Western blots showed that β-catenin and c-myc expression were significantly higher in fetal than in postnatal control duct tissue (P<0.05). c-myc and β-catenin are involved in the normal development of the human common bile duct.
Highlights
The Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway is a fundamental control mechanism in animal development and tissue homeostasis
Western blots showed that b-catenin and c-myc expression were significantly higher in fetal than in postnatal control duct tissue (P,0.05). c-myc and b-catenin are involved in the normal development of the human common bile duct
The endoderm close to the yolk stalk on the ventral side of the caudal foregut thickens and forms a hollow protrusion known as the hepatic diverticulum
Summary
The Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway is a fundamental control mechanism in animal development and tissue homeostasis. Wnt signaling is activated during fetal development of the dorsal-ventral axis and the central nervous system in vertebrates [1]. The oncoprotein bcatenin is the central regulator of gene expression in the classical Wnt signal pathway and is mainly located in the cytoplasm and may be found in the cell membrane and nucleus. Studies have shown that the classical Wnt/bcatenin signal pathway plays an important role in the development of the pancreas and intrahepatic duct [4,5]. Research into the role of the Wnt/b-catenin pathway in the development of the common bile duct is lacking. Immunohistochemical methods and Western blots were used to examine the expression of b-catenin and its downstream target gene, c-myc, during different stages of the development of the human fetal common bile duct. Braz J Med Biol Res 47(7) 2014 www.bjournal.com.br b-catenin and c-myc expression in bile duct development
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