Figure 12.
ILK knockdown improves renal function and increases the survival of pcy mice. Ilk+/+;pcy/pcy (Ilk+/+ pcy) and Ilkfl/+;Pkhd1-Cre;pcy/pcy (Ilk+/− pcy) mice were given standard chow and water ad libitum and monitored regularly until moribund. (A) At 25 weeks, blood was collected from the tail vein and BUN was measured to assess renal function (n=12 mice per group). **P<0.01, compared with Ilk+/+ pcy. (B) Kaplan–Meier survival curve indicates that heterozygous loss of ILK significantly increased the average lifespan of the pcy mice (n=14 mice per group). Average survival age increased from 40±2 weeks for the Ilk+/+ pcy mice to 48±2 weeks for the Ilk+/− pcy mice, P<0.001.