Figure 4.

Latent TGF-β1 suppresses TGF-β/Smad and NF-κB signaling, which is associated with the inhibition of Arkadia and restoration of Smad7 activity in vivo. Mice were euthanized 16 weeks after diabetes induction, and renal tissues were collected. (A) Expression of Smad7 protein. (B) Expression of Arkadia protein and mRNA. DM, diabetes mellitus. WT, latent TGF-β1 wild-type mice. Tg, latent TGF-β1 transgenic mice. Data represent the means ± SEM for groups of six animals. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 versus normal mice; ^#P < 0.05, ^##P < 0.01, ^###P < 0.001 versus WT DM mice.