Fig 3.

MiR-24 regulates myocardial fibrosis 2 weeks after MI (A, B) Mice receiving control lentiviral vector-GFP (LV-GFP) or lentiviral vector-miR-24 (LV-miR-24) were killed 2 weeks after MI. Protein levels of Col-1, α-SMA and GAPDH in the border zone were determined by western blotting, and densitometric quantification of protein expression (n = 6). (C, D) qRT-PCR was done to determine mRNA levels of Col-1A2, Col-3, fibronectin, and α-SMA in the border zone (C) or whole heart (D) of MI mice. Mean ± S.E.M., *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 (n = 6). (E) Experiments were done as described in (B). Masson's trichrome blue was used to stain fibrosis, fibronectin was stained to detect ECM remodelling; bars: 100 μm; and α-SMA was stained to detect CF differentiation (arrows denote SMA-positive spindle-shaped myofibroblasts); bars: 50 μm.