Figure 5.

Change in the transcript levels of genes involved in muscle contractility and extracellular matrix in ureters of the Smad4 mutants. Immunostaining by an anti-Laminin α1 antibody shows higher expression of Laminin α1 in the basement membrane of (C and D) mutant urothelium compared with (A and B) control. Tropomyosin immunostaining indicates its higher expression in (G and H) muscle layer of mutant ureter compared with (E and F) controls. (I) Transcript levels of Laminin α1 (controls, 0.000649±0.00004 [n=3]; mutants, 0.002022±0.00012 [n=3]; P=0.0009) and Tropomyosin 2 (controls, 0.000755±0.00016 [n=3]; mutants, 0.001378±0.00027 [n=3]; P=0.04) normalized to Gapdh using the 2^−ΔΔCT method. Lama1, laminin α1; Tpm, tropomyosin 2.