Abstract: Objective To study the effect of transcription factor 7-like 2 (Tcf7l2) on the adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells ( BMSCs) and the regulation of Wnt / β-catenin signaling pathway in BMSCs. Methods Tcf7l2 shRNA and overexpression lentivirus were made and transfected into the BMSCs with or without adipogenesis to construct the sh-Tcf7l2 and Tcf7l2-overexpression BMSCs. QRT-PCR was used to detect the expression level of Tcf7l2 mRNA in BMSCs. Oil red O staining was used to assess the adipogenic differenciation of BMSCs. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of Wnt / β-catenin signaling pathway downstream proteins β-catenin, c-myc and cyclin D1 and some other associate proteins. Results The expression levels of Tcf7l2 mRNA, β-catenin, c-myc and cyclin D1 proteins were reduced, and the number of fat particles, the expression levels of PPAR-γ and C / EBP-α were increased in the sh-Tcf7l2 group when compared with the control groups (P < 0. 05) . The expression levels of Tcf7l2 mRNA, β-catenin, c-myc and cyclin D1 proteins were increased, and the number of fat particles, the expression levels of fat-related proteins PPAR-γ and C / EBP-α were reduced in the Tcf7l2-overexpression group, when compared with the control groups (P < 0. 05) . Conclusion Tcf7l2 overexpression can inhibit the adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs, the mechanism of which may be related to the activation of Wnt / β-catenin signaling pathway. 

Key words: transcription factor 7-like 2, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, adipogenic differentiation, Wnt / β-catenin signaling pathway