Related Experiment Video For Wnt/β-catenin
Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Surgical Injury to the Mouse Pancreas through Ligation of the Pancreatic Duct as a Model for Endocrine and Exocrine Reprogramming and Proliferation
Published on: August 7, 2015
Enhanced intestinal epithelial cell proliferation in diabetic rats correlates with β-catenin accumulation
Tatiana Dorfman1, Yulia Pollak1, Rima Sohotnik1
1Laboratory of Intestinal Adaptation and RecoveryThe Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, IsraelDepartments of Pediatric Surgery BPathologyBnai Zion Medical Center, 47 Golomb Street, PO Box 4940, Haifa 31048, IsraelSection of Pediatric SurgeryC.S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Abstract:
The Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade is implicated in the control of stem cell activity, cell proliferation, and cell survival of the gastrointestinal epithelium. Recent evidence indicates that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is activated under diabetic conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling during diabetes-induced enteropathy in a rat model. Male rats were divided into three groups: control rats received injections of vehicle; diabetic rats received injections of one dose of streptozotocin (STZ); and diabetic-insulin rats received injections of STZ and were treated with insulin given subcutaneously at a dose of 1 U/kg twice daily. Rats were killed on day 7. Wnt/β-catenin-related genes and expression of proteins was determined using real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Among 13 genes identified by real-time PCR, seven genes were upregulated in diabetic rats compared with control animals including the target genes c-Myc and Tcf4. Diabetic rats also showed a significant increase in β-catenin protein compared with control animals. Treatment of diabetic rats attenuated the stimulating effect of diabetes on intestinal cell proliferation and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In conclusion, enhanced intestinal epithelial cell proliferation in diabetic rats correlates with β-catenin accumulation.
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