Figure 2.

AhR Deficiency Impairs Liver Polyploidy in the Absence of Increased Apoptosis

(A–D) Primary hepatocytes were isolated from preweaning (A and C) and adult (B and D) AhR+/+ and AhR−/− mice by collagenase liver perfusion. Cells were fixed, stained with propidium iodide, and their DNA content analyzed by flow cytometry in a MACSQuant VYB flow cytometer. Peaks correspond to diploid (2c), tetraploid (4c), and octaploid (8c) hepatocytes (red arrows).

(E) Cell subpopulations with different ploidy status were quantified and their percentages represented. Percentage of cells at the S phase (2c-to-4c and 4c-to-8c) transitions are also indicated.

(F) Apoptotic cells in adult AhR−/− livers were quantified and normalized by those of AhR+/+ mice.

(G and H) Albumin mRNA (G) and protein (H) expression was determined in liver tissue from preweaning and adult AhR+/+ and AhR−/− mice. mRNA gene expression was normalized by Gapdh and represented as 2^−ΔΔCt.

Six AhR+/+ and seven AhR−/− mice were analyzed for each developmental time and four technical replicates were performed. Data are shown as mean ± SD. n.s., Not statistically significant; SD, standard deviation. Antibodies and oligonucleotides used are indicated in Tables S1 and S2, respectively. See also Figure S1.