Six pairs of SSc and closely matched control fibroblasts were stimulated with 0.5 μM of dhS1P for 48 hours. Left panel depicts the protein levels of PTEN, MMP-1, and collagen determined by western blotting in a representative pair. β-actin was used to normalize protein levels. Lines 1 and 2 represent NS fibroblasts, lanes 3 and 4, SSc fibroblasts. Right panel represents graphical summary of the experiment. Bar graph depicts mean±SD from all pairs tested expressed as a ratio of each protein level to β-actin level. *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001