Fig. 1: Trypanosoma cruzi infection enhances extracellular matrix (ECM) contents in growing thymic epithelial cells. A: ELISA data revealing the enhancement of ECM contents in T. cruzi infected thymic epithelial cells (TECs) cultures comprising fibronectin, laminin (LM) and type IV collagen [each bar representing mean ± standard deviation (SD) of optical density (OD) readings from 12 wells in three independent experiments]; B: representative microscopic fields, respectively from control and infected TEC cultures, immunolabelled for LM detection. Amastigote forms of the parasite (detected with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining) are indicated by the arrow. Enhancement of LM contents was further quantitated by morphometry and the mean fluorescence for this molecule was higher in infected cultures, as compared with non-infected controls; C: cytofluorometric analyses of surface CD49e and CD49f: no significant difference was observed between T. cruzi infected vs. non-infected TEC cultures. Similar values were found in terms of both relative cell numbers (seen within each square ± SD) and membrane density profiles of each receptor. Micrograph magnification: 400X. **: p < 0.01; ***: p < 0.001.