Figure 3.

β-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling regulates lipogenesis and fatty acid desaturation in adipocytes. (A-B) Heat map and MA plot showing differentially expressed genes related to fatty acid, cholesterol, and bile acid metabolism in cultured β-cat^fl/fl and β-cat^−/− adipocytes (n = 4). (C-D) Lipogenic gene (n = 6) and protein (n = 3) expression in β-cat^fl/fl and β-cat^−/− adipocytes. (E) Proportion of total saturated vs unsaturated fatty acids in lipids extracted from β-cat^fl/fl and β-cat^−/− adipocytes (n = 3). (F) Relative proportions of myristic (C14:0) and palmitic (C16:0) vs myristoleic (C14:1, n-5) and palmitoleic (C16:1, n-7) acids (n = 3). (G) De novo lipogenesis (DNL) was evaluated in cultured β-cat^fl/fl and β-cat^−/− adipocytes using [¹⁴C]-acetate for 2, 4, and 8 h. Incorporation of [¹⁴C]-radiolabel into TAG fractions extracted from β-cat^fl/fl and β-cat^−/− adipocytes was quantified by scintillation counting (n = 6). (H–I) Gene (n = 6) and protein (n = 3) expression of indicated transcription factors in β-cat^fl/fl and β-cat^−/− adipocytes. (J) Protein expression in β-cat^fl/fl and β-cat^−/− adipocytes treated for 72 h with adenovirus expressing GFP, ChREBP, or SREBP1c (1 × 10⁵ viral particles/ml). (K) Integrative Genomics Viewer capture showing Tcf7l2 peaks (indicating binding occupancy) in regions ± 3 kb from transcription start sites (black arrows) of the indicated genes in cultured Tcf7l2^fl/fl and Tcf7l2^−/− adipocytes. RNA expression normalized to PPIA. Data presented as mean ± S.D. ∗ indicates significance at p < 0.05.