Figure 3.

Effects of uniaxial treatment on scleraxis (Scx) expression and translocation in the traction and gliding areas of tendon. (A) Representative immunofluorescence-stained sections of Scx (red), DAPI (blue, nuclear staining), and a representative overlay where these tendons are located (left panel). (B) The application of uniaxial force increased Scx protein expression during the first 24 h in the traction region, which then returned to the basal level. In the gliding tendon, Scx expression was delayed but also peaked at 24 h before returning to basal levels. Note that after 48 h, Scx expression was higher in the gliding tendon. (C) Scx translocation into the nucleus occurred during the first 6 h, followed by a steady return to basal levels. The p-values are given as p ≤ 0.05, p ≤ 0.01, and p ≤ 0.001. Asterisks indicating statistical differences in comparison to the 0 h control time point within the traction group, letters indicate statistical difference in comparison to the control time point within the gliding group, and hashtags indicate traction vs. gliding within the different time points.