Figure 6.

The effect of HCV RNA on the mesangial expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and M-CSF. MCs were transfected with lipofectamine and stimulated with HCV RNA for different intervals (3, 6 or 12 h). The expression of ICAM-1 (a), VCAM-1 (b) and –M-CSF (c) was analyzed by real-time PCR. The results are given as the means±SEM of two experiments conducted in parallel for each condition. rRNA served as the reference gene. Comparable results were obtained in two independent series of experiments. HCV, hepatitis C virus; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; MC, mesangial cell; M-CSF, macrophage colony-stimulating factor; real-time PCR, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction; VCAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1.