Fig. 3: SOX9 regulates MECOM during acinar cell dedifferentiation.
From: MECOM permits pancreatic acinar cell dedifferentiation avoiding cell death under stress conditions
a qPCR and (b) XY correlation plot for MECOM and SOX9 expression on a human exocrine mixed fraction in culture over time (day 1 to day 8). Each donor is indicated as a different colored line. c Immunoblot for MECOM and SOX9 on a human exocrine mixed fraction in culture over time. A representative blot from N = 3 human donor samples. The different isoforms of the MECOM locus are indicated by arrows. d Luciferase reporter assay in 266-6 cells, 48 h after transfection. (mean ± SD; N = 3; ***p < 0.001; one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni correction). e Generation of acinar-specific (Elastase) Cre deletor mice with Sox9ex5 flanked by loxP sites. Acinar-specific deletion of SOX9 is performed in ElaCreERT;Sox9f/f versus control (ElaCreERT) littermates by administering tamoxifen three times over a period of 5 days, followed by a 2-week washout after the start of tamoxifen treatment. Acute pancreatitis is induced by administering caerulein by 7 hourly injections for 3 days over a period of 5 days. Mice are sacrificed on day 4 after caerulein administration. Immunohistochemical staining and for SOX9 and RNA in situ hybridization of Mecom mRNA expression and quantification in mouse pancreatic tissue after experimentally induced acute pancreatitis in control (ElaCreERT) and acinar-specific Sox9 knockout (ElaCreERT;Sox9f/f) mice. Scale = 50 µM. (mean ± SD; N = 3; **p < 0.01; unpaired two-tailed t-test).
