Figure 5.

Cullin 3 (CUL3) required for endothelial barrier function. (a) Depletion of CUL3 abrogated endothelial cell–cell contacts. After HUVECs were pretreated with control (CONT) siRNA or CUL3 siRNA for 72 h, cells were analyzed by phase‐contrast microscopy. Bar = 50 μm. (b) CUL3 knockdown increased endothelial cell permeability. After HUVECs were treated with CONT siRNA or CUL3 siRNA for 72 h, FITC–dextran was added in the apical chamber. After incubation for 1 h, the amount of FITC–dextran in the bottom chamber was estimated. **P < 0.01.