Figure 7.

Changes in the proliferative activity and stemness of PBG cells after inhibition of the Wnt signal pathway. (a) Relative levels of VEGF, PCNA, caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-3 in each group were detected using western blotting (n = 3). Relative levels of Nanog, SOX9, and CFTR in each group were detected by western blotting (b) and PCR (c) (n = 3). Immunofluorescence staining showed that XAV-939 effectively degraded β-catenin and downregulated expression of Nanog (d) and VEGF (e) at the same time. ^∗P < 0.05, ^∗∗P < 0.01, and ^∗∗∗P < 0.001. PBG: peribiliary gland; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; PCNA: proliferating cell nuclear antigen; SOX9: SRY-box transcription factor 9; CFTR: cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.