Influence of hypoxia on expressions of relative factors of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in neural stem cells in vitro

Objective To observe expressions of relative factors of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in neural stem cells (NSCs) cultured in vitro in normoxia(20%O2) and hypoxia (3 ±2% O2) and explore the mechanism of proliferation of NSCs in hypoxia.Methods NSCs obtained from the hippocampus of a neonatal mouse were cultured in normoxia and hy-poxia,then expressions of major factors of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway were detected by RT-PCR.After the luciferase re-porter gene plasmid was transfected into NSCs by electroporation,responsive ability of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to hy-poxia was detected,and expressions of β-catenin and CyclinD1 in NSCs were detected by Western blot.Results The ma-jor factors in the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway were detected in NSCs and the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway was obvious-ly responsive to hypoxia.The β-catenin and CyclinD1 protein levels were increased after hypoxia treatment compared with those in normoxia(P0.05) .Conclusion The Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway may promote the proliferation of NSCs in hypoxia by increasing expressions of β-catenin and CyclinD1 in vitro.