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. 2013 Dec 23;8(12):e83846. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083846

Figure 6. TSP-2 gene therapy reduced TGF-β activation while not affecting total TGF-β expression.

Figure 6

In gene therapy, treated rats with renal transplants TGF-β were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Active TGF-β was either detected directly by using an antibody recognizing active TGF-β (A) or indirectly by evaluation of phosphorylation of the TGF-β signaling molecule smad2/3 (B) or expression of the TGF-β downstream target PAI-1 within the glomeruli (C) or the cortex (D). Representative microphotographs of PAI-1 staining in renal grafts treated with control (E) and TSP-2 overexpressing plasmid (F) are shown. Total TGF-β1 (G) and TGF-β2 (H) was similar in both groups. Control (n = 8) vs. TSP-2 treated (n = 8); *p<0,05.