Figure 2: Klf5 heterozygous deficiency exacerbates bleomycin (BLM)-induced dermal fibrosis.
From: Simultaneous downregulation of KLF5 and Fli1 is a key feature underlying systemic sclerosis
Subcutaneous injections of BLM (300 μg every other day for 3 weeks) were given to the back skin of female mice at 6 weeks of age. (a) Representative skin sections of WT and Klf5+/− mice injected with PBS or BLM. Scale bar, 100 μm. (b) Dermal thickness of each group is summarized. n=4 mice per group. (c) mRNA expression of Ctgf and Col1a2 in the skin tissue assessed by qRT-PCR. n=3 mice per group. (d,e) The relative numbers of myofibroblasts (d) and CTGF-positive fibroblasts (e) in the dermis. The number per high power field is adjusted to that in PBS-treated WT mice set at 1. The representative pictures of skin histology in WT and Klf5+/− mice treated with BLM are also shown. Scale bar, 50 μm. n=4 mice per group. Data are mean±s.e.m. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001 by one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni’s post hoc test for b,d,e and two-tailed unpaired t-test for c. One additional independent experiment using another group of mice provided similar results.
