Lack of beta-catenin in early life induces abnormal glucose homeostasis in mice.

ABSTRACT:

Aims/hypothesis

Wingless and iNT-1 (WNT) pathway members are critical for pancreatic development and exocrine tissue formation. Recently, much attention has focused on delineating the roles of beta-catenin in pancreatic organogenesis. However, little is known about the involvement of beta-catenin in the endocrine or exocrine function of the mature pancreas. We report for the first time the impact of beta-catenin deletion in the pancreatic beta cells.

Methods

We targeted the deletion of the beta-catenin gene in pancreatic beta cells by crossing a floxed beta-catenin mouse strain with a RIP-Cre mouse strain.

Results

Surprisingly, the majority of the mutant mice died shortly after birth and had deregulated glucose and insulin levels. The newborn mutant pancreases demonst

SUBMITTER: Dabernat S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4288852 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature