Fig. 7.

Effect of RGC-32 silencing on ECM proteins, α-SMA, and nestin in astrocytes. Cultured rat astrocytes were transfected with siRGC-32 or siCTR using Lipofectamine 3000, then stimulated with TGF-β (10 ng/ml) for 24 h. RGC-32 silencing significantly reduced the protein expression of collagen I (a), collagen V (b), fibronectin (c), α-SMA (d), and nestin (e) when compared with that of siCTR. The protein expression was normalized to β-actin, except in (d), where it was normalized to GAPDH. A representative blot for each component is shown. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 3). *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01