Fig. 3.

Abnormal ECM, MMP-13, ADAMTS-5, and noggin expression patterns in Sulf^−/− mice. (A) Knee joint sections from mice at the age of 4 weeks were stained with safranin O and for MMP-13 (n = 6). (Scale bars: low magnification for safranin O, 200 μm; high magnification for MMP-13, 50 μm.) (B) Articular cartilage from Sulf^−/− mice contained more MMP-13-positive cells especially in Sulf-1^−/− compared with WT mice. ^†, P < 0.01. (C) mRNA expression in articular chondrocytes from WT and Sulf^−/− mice. col2a1, mmp-13, and noggin expression was analyzed by Taqman PCR in chondrocytes from WT, Sulf-1^−/−, and Sulf-2^−/− mice (n = 6–8). (D) mRNA expression of adamts-5 was examined in chondrocytes from WT, Sulf-1^−/−, and Sulf-2^−/− mice (n = 6). Results are shown as mRNA levels of the indicated genes relative to gapdh (*, P ≤ 0.05; ^†, P < 0.01). (E) ADAMTS-5 expression was examined in 3-month-old WT, Sulf-1^−/−, and Sulf-2^−/− mice by immunohistochemistry. (Scale bars: 50 μm.)