FIGURE 5.

Slc26a2 is essential for chondrocytes size increase. Mouse articular chondrocytes in culture were passed until passage P2 and then transfected with an empty vector (Control), Slc26a2 (a and b), or shSlc26a2 (c and d). Two days after transfection, the cells were treated with 100 ng/ml IGF-1 (a–d) in the presence of absence of the PI3K inhibitor PI828 (a and b) and incubated for an additional 3 days. At the time of transfection with Slc26a2, cells were also treated with siPI3K (a and b). After a total of 5 days, cell sizes were analyzed by ImageJ as described under “Materials and Methods.” Scale bars, 30 μm. The columns show the averages of three to five experiments. *, p < 0.05; #, p < 0.01 relative to the respective controls; NS, not significant. For b and d, the control was untreated cells, marked as control in b.