The mRNA expression pattern in the pancreatic AR42J acinar cells treated with cerulein for 24 hours behaved almost the same as what we found in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis tissues in mice, and the predomination of Shh expression among the three genes became more obvious, as the mRNA of Shh achieved 60 folds when treated with 3 μM of cerulein (Fig. 2A). This evidence concerns the gene SHH and acute pancreatitis.