Figure 5.
Yap/Taz KO in fibroblasts suppresses renal fibrogenesis. (A) Yap/Taz was knocked out in fibroblasts in Yapf/f/Tazf/f/Gli1-ERCre mice (Yap/Taz KO) after tamoxifen inoculation for 5 days (80 mg/kg body wt). Western blot analysis of Yap expression in fibroblasts from UUO kidneys of control and Yap/Taz KO mice. (B) Immunostaining showed that Yap was absent in interstitial cells of Yap/Taz KO mice. Lower panel represents magnified area of the red frame in the upper panel (arrowhead in panel indicates Yap staining in interstitium in WT). (C) Double immunostaining of Yap and SMA-α in obstructed kidneys of wild-type and Yap/Taz KO mice. Red arrows point to nuclei of interstitial fibroblasts. (D and E) Representative western blot and relative intensity analysis indicate levels of myofibroblast markers in UUO kidneys of WT and Yap/Taz KO mice. (F–H) Sections of obstructed kidneys of WT and Yap/Taz KO mice were immunostained with anti-fibronectin, collagen I, and SMA-α (F). Fibrosis was determined by trichrome and Sirius Red staining (F). The total positive areas were measured and statistically analyzed (G and H) (n=5; *P<0.05 versus WT UUO group).