Figure 2. Reduced expression of caveolae-associated proteins in cavin-1^−/− mice.

A) 20 μg of protein from small mesenteric artery lysates was subjected to western blotting for cavins and caveolins. GAPDH or HSP90 were used as loading controls. B) Electron micrographs showing membrane sections from wild type (WT) and cavin-1-deficient (KO) small mesenteric arteries. Top panels show endothelial cells (EC) and bottom panels show smooth muscle cells (SMC). Middle panel in B shows quantification of caveolae per μm membrane in endothelial cells (EC) and in smooth muscle cells (SMC) from WT and KO animals, respectively. Right panel shows size distribution of caveolae in endothelium compared to smooth muscle in WT arteries.