Figure 5.

Effects of stimulating and inhibiting β‐catenin signaling on differentiation of ciliated cells. (A) Immunofluorescence showing cilia (red) and β‐catenin (green) in airway epithelial cells differentiated for 28 days in the presence of 0.1 μg·mL⁻¹ Dkk1 (left), media only (center) or 10 μm of SB216763. (B, C) Quantification of FOXJ1 (B) and Wnt4 mRNA expression (C) in NHBE cells treated with Dkk1 (green bars), control (black bars) or SB216763 (red bars). These data show that inhibition of β‐catenin signaling with Dkk1 increased FOXJ1 mRNA expression with no effect on Wnt4 mRNA expression. SB216763 decreased FOXJ1 and Wnt4 mRNA expression. One‐way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test for B, C (*P < 0.05). (D) KD of GSK3β with GSK3β shRNA expressing lentiviruses (red bar) compared to a control, nontargeting construct (NS, black bar). (E) Quantification of FOXJ1 mRNA in cells transduced with GSK3β shRNA expressing lentiviruses (red bar) or a NS construct (black bar). KD of GSK3β mRNA resulted in a significant decrease in FOXJ1 expression compared to cultures infected with a NS. T‐test was used for D, E (*P < 0.05).