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. 2017 Feb 13;7:42114. doi: 10.1038/srep42114

Figure 3. Podocyte-specific inhibition of CTGF did not ameliorate glomerular changes.

Figure 3

(a) Experimental protocol for anti-GBM nephritis in podocyte-specific CTGF cKO mice (pod-CTGF cKO). (b) Double immunofluorescence staining for CTGF (green) and podocin (red) in glomeruli of pod-CTGF cKO mice at 4 weeks after induction of anti-GBM nephritis. Pod-CTGF cKO mice with anti-GBM nephritis exhibited a decrease in CTGF expression by podocytes. Lower panel, pod-CTGF cKO mice with anti-GBM nephritis. Bar represents 50 μm. (c) Changes in proteinuria during the course of the anti-GBM nephritis. Closed squares, vehicle-treated control mice; open squares, pod-CTGF cKO mice with vehicle; closed circles, control mice with anti-GBM nephritis; open circles, pod-CTGF cKO mice with anti-GBM nephritis. (d) Representative photomicrographs of the kidneys at 4 weeks after induction of anti-GBM nephritis (PAS staining). Left upper panel, vehicle-treated control mice; right upper panel, vehicle-treated pod-CTGF cKO mice; left lower panel, control mice with anti-GBM nephritis; right lower panel, pod-CTGF cKO mice with anti-GBM nephritis. Bar represents 50 μm. (e) The percentage of crescent formation (left panel) and the mesangial area (right panel) in anti-GBM nephritis in pod-CTGF cKO mice. (f) Electron microscopic analysis of glomeruli in anti-GBM nephritis in pod-CTGF cKO mice. No difference in dense deposit accumulation (white arrows) between control and pod-CTGF cKO mice with nephritis. Bar represents 2,000 nm. (g) Serum creatinine and BUN levels in pod-CTGF cKO mice with anti-GBM nephritis. (h) Expression of Ctgf and Tgfb1 mRNA in glomeruli at 4 weeks after induction of anti-GBM nephritis. (i) Expression of Acta2, Fn1and Itgav mRNA in glomeruli. (j) Representative image of glomerular CTGF protein by Western blotting. Immunoblot of β-actin was used as control. Full-lengh blots are presented in Supplementary Figure S11. Values are expressed as means ± s.e. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. Vehicle-treated control mice (n = 9), vehicle-treated pod-CTGF cKO mice (n = 6), control mice with anti-GBM nephritis (n = 7), pod-CTGF mice with anti-GBM nephritis (n = 7). Veh, vehicle; GBM, anti-GBM nephritis.