(A–I) Pancreatic sections from E15.5 WT (A, C, E, and G) and Pdx1-Cre;αE-catenin-KO embryos (B, D, F, and H) immunostained for Ngn3 (C and D), Pdx1 (E and F), and Nkx6.1 (G and H) reveals a significant reduction in numbers of endocrine/progenitor cells in Pdx1-Cre;αE-catenin-KO embryos (B, D, F, and H), whereas the frequency of multipotent pancreatic progenitors marked by Sox9 is increased at this early stage of islet cell development (I).
(J) Expression of transcription factors Ngn3, Pdx1, and Nkx6.1 is also reduced at the transcriptional level (J) in mutant Pdx1-Cre;αE-catenin-KO embryos.
Data in (I) and (J) are presented as mean ± SEM from n = 6 WT and n = 6 Pdx1-Cre;αE-catenin-KO pancreata; *p < 0.01; **p < 0.001. Reference bar in (A)–(H), 50 µm.