FIGURE 4.

Dapper3 deficiency enhances myofibroblast activation and EMT in kidneys after UUO. A, shown are representative diagrams of α-SMA immunostaining in WT and Dapper3^−/− kidneys 7 days after Sham-operation or UUO. Scale bars, 100 μm. NS, not significant. B, relative α-SMA-positive area was calculated from immunostaining pictures in A (see “Experimental Procedures” for the details). *, p < 0.05. n = 3. C and D, Western blots (C) and quantification analysis (D) of α-SMA protein levels in contralateral and 7-day UUO samples are shown. GAPDH is used as an internal control. **, p < 0.01. n = 4. E, effects of Dapper3 knock-out on various fibrotic gene expression are shown. wild-type and Dapper3^−/− mice were subjected to UUO, and after 14 days the relative transcript levels of genes involved in renal fibrosis were measured.