ArticleAnnals of the rheumatic diseases2012
β-catenin is a central mediator of pro-fibrotic Wnt signaling in systemic sclerosis.
Article in Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 108 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
108 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 201 citations in OpenAlex.
- Biological mechanisms of atropine in myopia control (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Pooled it
- TGF-β-induced epigenetic deregulation of SOCS3 facilitates STAT3 signaling to promote fibrosis.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2020Trial
- Inhibition of β-Catenin Signaling in the Skin Rescues Cutaneous Adipogenesis in Systemic Sclerosis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of C-82.The Journal of investigative dermatology · 2017Trial
- B cell depletion therapy upregulates Dkk-1 skin expression in patients with systemic sclerosis: association with enhanced resolution of skin fibrosis.Arthritis research & therapy · 2016Trial
- GPR124 regulates hyaloid blood vessel regression and is associated with endothelial-mesenchymal transition.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Mechanisms of fibrotic tissue remodelling: insights from systemic sclerosis.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2026Review
- Review
- Research progress on scar-free healing.Annals of medicine · 2025Review
- Antifibrotic effects of specific targeting of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2B receptor (5-HTArthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2025Article
- Wnt Activation in Mature Dermal Adipocytes Leads to Lipodystrophy and Skin Fibrosis via ATGL-Dependent Lipolysis.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025Article
- Wnt/β-catenin Pathway Aggravates Renal Fibrosis by Activating PUM2 Transcription to Repress YME1L-mediated Mitochondrial Homeostasis.Biochemical genetics · 2025Article
- Combination therapies of porcupine inhibition with ruxolitinib, ibrutinib, or belumosudil in murine sclerodermatous GVHD.Blood advances · 2025Article
- Unanswered questions regarding the pathogenesis of late onset posterior capsular opacification.Frontiers in ophthalmology · 2025Review
- Characterization of the Ocular Phenotype in a Col4a3 Knockout Mouse Model of Alport Syndrome.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2024Article
- Topographical changes in extracellular matrix during skin fibrosis and recovery can be evaluated using automated image analysis algorithms.FEBS letters · 2024Article
- Colorectal cancer cells secreting DKK4 transform fibroblasts to promote tumour metastasis.Oncogene · 2024Article
- Strategies for arterial graft optimization at the single-cell level.Nature cardiovascular research · 2024Article
- Modelling and targeting mechanical forces in organ fibrosis.Nature reviews bioengineering · 2024Article
- Tissue fibrosis associated depletion of lipid-filled cells.Experimental dermatology · 2024Review
- TGF-β1, pSmad-2/3, Smad-7, and β-Catenin Are Augmented in the Pulmonary Arteries from Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF): Role in Driving Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EndMT).Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
48 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesPathologic fibroblast activation drives fibrosis of the skin and internal organs in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). β-catenin is an integral part of adherens junctions and a central component of canonical Wnt signaling. Here, the authors addressed the role of β-catenin in fibroblasts for the development of SSc dermal fibrosis.
methodsNuclear accumulation of β-catenin in fibroblasts was assessed by triple staining for β-catenin, prolyl-4-hydroxylase-β and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). The expression of Wnt proteins in the skin was analysed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. Mice with fibroblast-specific stabilisation or fibroblast-specific depletion were used to evaluate the role of β-catenin in fibrosis.
resultsThe auhors found significantly increased nuclear levels of β-catenin in fibroblasts in SSc skin compared to fibroblasts in the skin of healthy individuals. The accumulation of β-catenin resulted from increased expression of Wnt-1 and Wnt-10b in SSc. The authors further showed that the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin has direct implications for the development of fibrosis: Mice with fibroblast-specific stabilisation of β-catenin rapidly developed fibrosis within 2 weeks with dermal thickening, accumulation of collagen and differentiation of resting fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. By contrast, fibroblast-specific deletion of β-catenin significantly reduced bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis.
conclusionsThe present study findings identify β-catenin as a key player of fibroblast activation and tissue fibrosis in SSc. Although further translational studies are necessary to test the efficacy and tolerability of β-catenin/Wnt inhibition in SSc, the present findings may have clinical implications, because selective inhibitors of β-catenin/Wnt signaling have recently entered clinical trials.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.