Journal:
Article Title: Antisense Oligonucleotides Against Thrombospondin-1 Inhibit Activation of TGF-? in Fibrotic Renal Disease in the Rat in Vivo
doi:
Figure Lengend Snippet: Transfer of phosphorothioate ODN against TSP1 decreases activation, but not expression of TGF-β in nephritic glomeruli. In all figures treated kidneys (solid bars) were compared to nontreated control kidneys (open bars). Glomerular TGF-β1 or TGF-β2 protein (by brown immunostaining) was not changed in any group of nephritic rats (A and B). In agreement, equal levels of total TGF-β levels were determined using the PAI-1 luciferase assay. Active TGF-β levels were significantly reduced in the antisense-treated kidneys (C). Additionally, active TGF-β in nephritic glomeruli was determined by an antibody specifically recognizing the active form of TGF-β1 (D, gray cytoplasmic staining) and by an antibody specific for the phosphorylated form of the TGF-β signal-transduction molecule Smad 2/3 (H, black nuclear staining; arrowheads indicate examples for P-Smad2/3-positive nuclei). Inhibition of TSP1 expression after antisense ODN therapy but not scrambled ODN therapy was associated with a markedly decreased glomerular TGF-β activity in the left kidney as reflected by immunostaining for active TGF-β1 (E, evaluated by scoring system; F, evaluated by computerized morphometry) and by a marked reduction of glomerular cells showing positive nuclei for the TGF-β signaling molecule phospho-Smad2/3 (G). * marks significant differences (P < 0.01) of antisense groups versus the control (scrambled) group.
Article Snippet: In addition, most parameters have also been evaluated by computerized morphometry (Visitron Systems Gmbh, Puchheim, Germany).
Techniques: Activation Assay, Expressing, Control, Immunostaining, Luciferase, Staining, Transduction, Inhibition, Activity Assay