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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Arthritis Rheum. 2012 Oct;64(10):3278–3289. doi: 10.1002/art.34566

Figure 2. Molecular composition of articular cartilage is disrupted in Col2-Cre;Smad3fl/fl mice.

Figure 2

(A) To examine Col2 and Agn expression in costal cartilage of P60 mice, mRNA expression was quantified and normalized to L19 (n=5; *p-value < 0.02). (B) Immunohistochemistry (IHC) negative controls. Primary antibodies were replaced with either IgG (controls for C, D) or preimmune serum (controls for F, G) to confirm specificity of IHC staining. IHC in P60, P90, and P120 Col2-Cre;Smad3fl/fl mice revealed a progressive reduction in aggrecan (C) and collagen II (D), but an increase in MMP-13 (E) protein expression in articular cartilage of P90 Col2-Cre;Smad3fl/fl mice. IHC with antibodies to neoepitopes VDIPEN (F) and GPQG (G), MMP-13 cleavage products of Agn and Col2, respectively, shows increased MMP-13 cleavage of cartilage matrix in P90 Col2-Cre;Smad3fl/fl mice, particularly at the articular surface. (Bars = 100 µm.)