Fig. 5: WNT pathway inhibition in Tsc2 KO mouse lung mesenchyme protects from alveolar enlargement. | Nature Communications

Fig. 5: WNT pathway inhibition in Tsc2 KO mouse lung mesenchyme protects from alveolar enlargement.

From: mTORC1 activation in lung mesenchyme drives sex- and age-dependent pulmonary structure and function decline

Fig. 5: WNT pathway inhibition in Tsc2 KO mouse lung mesenchyme protects from alveolar enlargement.

a Wnt5a and Wnt3a genes are downregulated by in vivo Rapamycin (Rapa) treatment in the 8-week-old Tsc2KO lung mesenchyme. qRT-PCR results on the sorted MLFs after 4 weeks of Rapamycin injections (N = 3 per group). b Detailed diagram of the mouse genotypes used in the study for the lung-mesenchymal-specific gene knock-outs and expression. c Inhibition of the WNT pathway in vivo by the β-catenin KO in Tsc2KO mouse lung mesenchyme decreases the size of alveoli with age (N = 5, 15 images per lung). d WNT pathway activation by stabilizing β-catenin in Tsc2WT mesenchyme does not trigger the alveolar enlargement. Plot shows MLIs of 20-week-old mouse lungs (N = 5, 15 images per lung). For all charts in this figure, error bars represent mean values + SD. P values obtained by multiple non-parametric two-tailed T-tests in a group comparison. Statistical significance determined using the Holm–Sidak method, with alpha = 0.05. Each row was analyzed individually, without assuming a consistent SD. Raw data underlying the graphs in the panels a, c, and d is supplied in the Source data file.

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