Study On The Role And Mechanism Of Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Pathway In The Development Of Rat Embryo And Tumorigenesis

Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is essential for development and tumorigenesis. It plays a critical role in directing cell fates during embryogenesis of animal and human being.First, we have known that the protein B-catenin is a major component of the Wnt/B-catenin signaling pathway, which is involved in two major functions: cell adhesion and Wnt/B-catenin signal transduction. We have investigated the expression of B-catenin in digestive system, respiratory system, nervous system and urinary system of rat embryo during mid-period and end-period of development. It is proved that the role of Wnt/B-catenin signaling pathway is important and frequent in rat embryo development.Second, we started to investigate the role of Wnt/B-catenin signaling pathway in experimental hepatoma of rat. We have found: In normal rat livers, the mRNAs of Wnt1, cyclin D1 and c-myc genes were not detected and only B-catenin protein was observed to have low expression at cellular membrane. However, 14 weeks after cancer induction in atypical hyperplasia livers, B-catenin protein and APC protein were accumulated in cytoplasm. Meanwhile, cyclin Dl protein was detected in cytoplasm and/or nucleus in...