Figure 8.
Antisense oligonucleotides to HIF-1α trigger gelatinase expression and activity in villous explants cultured at 3% O2. Explants of 5–8 weeks’ gestation were treated with antisense (AS-HIF) or control sense (S-HIF) oligonucleotides to HIF-1α (a) Section of explants treated for 5 days with antisense HIF-1α show positive immunoreactivity for gelatinase B/MMP9 in the invading EVT (arrow, EVT) when compared with control sense–treated explants. Samples of conditioned medium were collected at days 1, 3, and 5 and subjected to analysis by gelatin zymography (b) or at day 5 for Western blotting with gelatinase B/MMP9 antisera (c). Arrows indicate positions of gelatinase activity (gelatinase A/MMP-2: 60 and 68 kDa; gelatinase B/MMP-9: 84 and 92 kDa).