Journal: International Journal of Molecular Medicine
Article Title: ZEB1 maintains mitochondrial fission and macrophage efferocytosis by restraining MFN2, thereby limiting inflammation and improving tendon-bone healing
doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2026.5805
Figure Lengend Snippet: ZEB1 knockdown aggravates the inflammatory response at the TBI. (A) The expression level of ZEB1 was detected by RT-qPCR 48 h after the operation. (B) The expression of ZEB1 protein was detected by IHC 1 week after the operation, and the optical density value was semi-quantitatively analyzed by ImageJ software (n=3 high-power fields) (scale bar, 50 µ m; lower panels, ×50 magnification, scale bar, 20 µ m). (C) Apoptotic cells at the TBI were detected by TUNEL method in the early postoperative period (1 week), with green fluorescence (FITC labeled) indicating apoptotic cells with DNA fragmentation (scale bar, 20 µ m). (D) The expression level of MFN2 was detected by RT-qPCR 48 h after the operation. (E) The expression of MFN2 protein was detected by IHC 1 week after the operation, and the optical density value was semi-quantitatively analyzed by ImageJ software (scale bar, 50 µ m). (F) At 1 week after the operation, double immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the polarization phenotype of macrophages. The cell nuclei were stained with DAPI (red), M1 macrophages were labeled with iNOS (green), and M2 macrophages were labeled with CD206 (red) (scale bar, 20 µ m) (G) At 1 week after the operation, co-localization analysis of apoptotic cells (Tunel, green) and macrophages (CD68, red) at the TBI was performed by immunofluorescence. The cell nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue) (scale bar, 20 µ m). The labels in the figure are as follows: T=tendon, B=bone tissue, I=tendon-bone interface. n=3. * P<0.05 vs. NC group. TBI, tendon-bone interface; ZEB1, zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1; RT-qPCR, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR; IHC, immunohistochemistry; MFN2, Mitofusin-2; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; NC, negative control; sh, short hairpin.
Article Snippet: Then, the sections were incubated overnight at 4°C with primary antibodies against iNOS (1:50; cat. no. 18985-1-AP), CD206 (1:50; cat. no. 18704-1-AP) and CD68 (1;50; cat. no. 28058-1-AP) (Proteintech Group, Inc.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Techniques: Knockdown, Expressing, Quantitative RT-PCR, Software, TUNEL Assay, Fluorescence, Labeling, Double Immunofluorescence Staining, Staining, Immunofluorescence, Binding Assay, Reverse Transcription, Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Immunohistochemistry, Negative Control