Pancreas-specific deletion of Prox1 affects development and disrupts homeostasis of the exocrine pancreas.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

The exocrine portion of the pancreas functions in digestion and preserves pancreatic homeostasis. Learning how this tissue forms during embryogenesis could improve our understanding of human pancreatic diseases. Expression of the homeobox gene Prox1 in the exocrine pancreas changes throughout development in mice. We investigated the role of Prox1 in development of the exocrine pancreas in mice.

Methods

Mice with pancreas-specific deletion of Prox1 (Prox1(ΔPanc)) were generated and their pancreatic tissues were analyzed using immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, histologic techniques, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and morphometric analysis.

Results

Loss of Prox1 from the pancreas led to multiple e

SUBMITTER: Westmoreland JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3398795 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature