Figure 1.

Gene expression of AP components in unstimulated and TNF-stimulated BMVECs relative to GMVECs. The mRNA levels of the genes for AP components C3, CFB, C5, CFP, and CFD and the classical complement component C4 in unstimulated BMVECs and GMVECs (A) and in TNF-stimulated BMVECs and GMVECs (B) were evaluated by real time (RT)-qPCR. RNA was extracted from unstimulated BMVECs and GMVECs that were maintained in serum-free medium for 24 h and in these cells after incubation with 10 ng/ml TNF for 48 h (24 h in complete medium and 24 h in serum-free medium). Fold-changes in BMVEC mRNA levels were calculated relative to the mRNA levels in GMVECs. RNA was extracted in 4–6 separate experiments from each cell type. Data are means plus standard deviations (S.D.) from RT-qPCR runs with triplicate measurements. GAPDH was used for normalization. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.001.