Figure 5.

Airway wall remodelling may impact physiologic responses in the absence of RELM-β. Airway wall remodelling was observed qualitatively with trichrome staining (A) wherein Relnlb KO mice have increased peribronchovascular collagen deposition and hydroxyproline compared to wild-type (WT) controls (B). Resistance of the respiratory system (Rrs) in response to nebulized methacholine was significantly higher in the WT (closed squares) early after allergen challenge, but this increase persisted in the KO (open squares) at the late time point (C). Primary lung fibroblasts isolated from WT and KO mice were wounded and treated/not with 10 ng/mL recombinant RELM-β protein. Wound closure was measured at varying time points based on the initial width of the wound in each replicate, and a significant difference was noted at 20 hours in fibroblasts from both genotypes (D,E). Lines in B represent naïve WT (solid) and KO (dotted). Scale bar = 200 µm (applicable to all in A) and 400 µm (applicable to all in D). Data are represented as the mean and SEM of one representative study with n = 4–7 mice/group (A–C) and as mean and SD of n = 3 wells/group (D-E). Data were analysed by two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. Two and three symbols represent P < 0.01, and P < 0.001 correspondingly. N – Naïve.