Fig. 4.
Normal blood vessel density but altered Vegfa and endothelial cell gene expression upon Smad1/5 inactivation. (A) Immunolabeling for E-cadherin and PECAM reveals preserved blood vessel density in Smad1/5dKO mice from E14.5 to E18.5. (B) Expression of Cdh5, Pcdh12 and Tie1 is significantly reduced after epithelial inactivation of Smad1/5 at E16.5. (C) Vegfa expression is reduced in Smad1/5dKO thyroid as compared with control. (D) E14.5 thyroid lobes treated with 3 µM DMH1 (BMP inhibitor) for 16 h have reduced Id2 and Vegfa mRNA levels. (E) Expression of Id2 and Vegfa in FRTL-5 cells is rapidly (8 h) stimulated by a mix of Bmp2, 4, 5, 7 ligands in a dose-dependent manner. *P<0.05, **P<0.001, ***P<0.0001, Mann–Whitney U-test (n≥5). All mRNAs were normalized to either Rpl27 or Actb. Data are presented as mean±s.e.m. Scale bar: 50 µm.