Figure 3
The expression and immunolocalisation of MMP-13 in the lung tissues of WT and MMP-13 KO mice after intravenous injection of B16BL6 melanoma cells. (A) The mRNA and protein expression of MMP-13 in the lungs of WT and MMP-13 KO mice. Mice were received intravenous injection of B16BL6 cells and lung tissues obtained on days 0 (Cont), 1, 3, 7 and 21 (3 weeks) after the injection were subjected to RT–PCR (PCR) and immunoblotting (IMB) for MMP-13 as described in Materials and Methods. β-Actin, a loading control. (B) Histological examination of metastatic foci and immunohistochemical localisation of MMP-13 in the lungs of WT and MMP-13 KO mice on day 3 after the injection. Arrows indicate immunoreactive endothelial cells and arrowheads show melanoma cells that can be detected by large nuclei and/or melanin granules within the cytoplasm. Non-immune IgG instead of anti-MMP-13 antibody was used as for a control. Abbreviations: HE, haematoxylin and eosin staining; BV, blood vessel. Scale bar, 10 μm.
