FIG. 2.

Expression of hBD1, hBD2, hBD3, and CAP18 mRNA in HGEC stimulated with heat-inactivated clinically isolated A. actinomycetemcomitans cells. The total RNA was extracted from cells after exposure to A. actinomycetemcomitans for 12 h and used for real-time PCR performed as described in Materials and Methods. The results of the real-time PCR are expressed as a ratio comparing the value at time zero to the value at the data time point. The values represent the means ± standard deviations of triplicate experiments.