Mesothelin promotes cell proliferation in the remodeling of neonatal rat pancreas.

Aim: To investigate the effect of mesothelin in the remodeling of the endocrine pancreas in neonatal rats.

Methods: Overexpression or downregulation of mesothelin expression in INS-1 cells was carried out to investigate the effect of mesothelin during cell proliferation and cell apoptosis in vitro. Adenovirus-mediated RNA interference was performed to block mesothelin in vivo to directly assess the role of mesothelin in the remodeling of the endocrine pancreas in neonatal rats.

Streptozotocin-induced expression of Ngn3 and Pax4 in neonatal rat pancreatic α-cells.

Aim: To investigate the mechanism behind β-cell regeneration in neonatal rat pancreas treated with streptozotocin (STZ).

Methods: Neonatal Sprague Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with 70 mg/kg STZ. Body weight, pancreas weight and blood glucose were recorded every two days after the treatment.

Prognostic significance of Bcl-xL gene expression in human colorectal cancer.

Bcl-xL is a pro-survival member of the Bcl-2 family that plays indispensable roles in regulating cell survival and apoptosis. It is overexpressed in many malignant tumors including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, it is still unclear if Bcl-xL can be used as an independent molecular marker for predicting the prognosis of CRC patients.