FIGURE 4.

Integrin-deficient mice are dwarfs. A, mice with combined ablation of integrins α2β1 and α11β1 were easily detectable among their littermates by reduced body size. B, reduced size of inner organs (heart, spleen, kidney) of wild-type and integrin-deficient mice. Bar charts display wet weight of organs (center panel) as well as wet weight of organs normalized to body weight (lower panel). In α11β1 and double-deficient (dko) mice, wet weight of heart, spleen, and liver is reduced, whereas in relation to body weight, the difference is abrogated, illustrating a proportional dwarfism in these animals. Body size from nose to anus (C) and weight (D) of male wild-type and integrin-deficient mice at the age of one and three months. Integrin α11β1 and double-deficient mice are smaller and weigh less when compared with wild-type controls with the most prominent differences observed in animals lacking both integrin subunits. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.005; ***, p < 0.0005.