Fig. 3: Inhibition of Foxf2 enhances the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts via activation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway.

a Gene expression in BMSCs isolated from the Foxf2^f/f and Foxf2^osp−/− mice by qPCR. Foxf2^osp−/− BMSCs showed a significant increase in osteogenic markers. *, P < 0.05 versus the Foxf2^f/f mice. b, c, and d RNA-seq data from calvaria of the Foxf2^f/f and Foxf2^osp−/− mice. b Loss of Foxf2 in osteoprogenitors significantly upregulated the expression of 57 genes while downregulating the expression of 633 genes. c Bar chart of pathways with potentially differentially expressed genes extracted from calvarial bone expression data. The PANTHER server with default parameters for pathway analysis was used for pathway analysis. The length of each bar shows how many genes have been assigned to a given pathway. d There were significant changes in the expression of Wnt2b and Lgr5, which are associated with canonical Wnt signaling. e Gene expression in calvaria bones isolated from the Foxf2^f/f and Foxf2^osp−/− mice by qPCR. Foxf2^osp−/− calvaria showed a significant increase in Wnt2b expression. f WNT2B protein levels in the Foxf2^osp−/− mice based on Western blot analysis. Calvaria bones were isolated from the Foxf2^f/f (control) or Foxf2^osp−/− mice. *, P < 0.05 versus the Foxf2^f/f mice. All data represent the mean ± SEM.