Fig. 1.
Calcific nodule formation following combination treatments of 15% equibiaxial strain (red bars) and 1 ng/ml of TGF-β1 (blue bars) over 48 hrs. Control (A), strain only (B), and TGF-β1 only (C) all show unperturbed monolayers, as does strain followed by TGF-β1 (D). TGF-β1 followed by strain reveals large, mature calcific nodules (E), while simultaneous TGF-β1 and strain cause small, less mature nodules (F). All treatments stained with Alizarin red to identify calcification. This experiment was independently replicated three times with identical results. Scale bar = 250 μm.