Fig. 1.

A: absence of caveolin-1 expression in caveolin-1 knockout mice. Western blot analysis of mouse lung homogenate shows absence of caveolin-1 expression in lungs of animals lacking caveolin-1 (Cav1^−/−) in contrast to wild-type (WT) lungs. B: right ventricular hypertrophy in caveolin-1 knockout mice. Right ventricles (RV) were removed from the left ventricle + septum (LV), weighed, and normalized to the body weight (BW). RV- and LV-to-total BW ratios as well as RV/LV were significantly increased in Cav1^−/− mice compared with WT. *P < 0.05 vs. WT. C: arterial blood gases. Blood samples from the aorta of anesthetized Cav1^−/− and WT mice were analyzed for oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressures and pH. No differences in ${\text{Pa}}_{{\text{O}}_2}$, ${\text{Pa}}_{{\text{CO}}_2}$, or pH were found between WT and knockout mice (100 ± 33 mmHg vs. 106 ± 47 mmHg, 54 ± 20 mmHg vs. 53 ± 12 mmHg, and 7.15 ± 0.1 vs. 7.16 ± 0.02, respectively; P > 0.05; n = 3–4/group). D: lung weights and wet-to-dry ratio. No difference was found in wet-to-dry weight (wet/dry wt) ratios between WT and Cav1^−/− (4.84 ± 0.037 for WT vs. 4.80 ± 0.06 for Cav1^−/−; n = 5).