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Figure 3 | Skeletal Muscle

Figure 3

From: Canonical Wnt signaling induces BMP-4 to specify slow myofibrogenesis of fetal myoblasts

Figure 3

Muscle-specific constitutive activation of canonical Wnt signaling promotes oxidative myofiber phenotype. The MCK-Cre/Ctnnblox(ex3) mice were used to express constitutively active β-cateninΔex3, which mimics canonical Wnt signaling. The MCK promoter-drive Cre expression limits Wnt activation only in mature skeletal muscles. (A-B) X-Gal staining (blue signal) of whole mount TA muscles of Ctnnblox(ex3)/Tcf-LacZ (WT) and MCK-Cre/Ctnnblox(ex3)/Tcf-LacZ (Mut) mice. Blue signal, indicative of canonical Wnt signaling, is only detectable in the Mut TA muscles (A and B represent the dorsal and ventral view of the same muscles). (C-D) NADH-TR staining of TA muscle sections from the WT (C) and Mut (D) mice. (E) Percentage of high oxidative (black), middle oxidative (gray) and low oxidative (white) myofibers of WT and Mut mice (n = 3, each). Scale bar: 1 mm.

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