Fig. 2: Cardiac Cdh2 (N-Cadherin) level reduces dramatically beyond the regenerative age window and is upregulated in neonatal heart following injury. | Nature Communications

Fig. 2: Cardiac Cdh2 (N-Cadherin) level reduces dramatically beyond the regenerative age window and is upregulated in neonatal heart following injury.

From: N-Cadherin promotes cardiac regeneration by potentiating pro-mitotic β-Catenin signaling in cardiomyocytes

Fig. 2

a Cardiac Cdh2 expression level exhibited an age-dependent reduction from P1, P3 to adult CM (n = 3, 4, and 7, respectively). A one-way ANOVA test (p < 0.0001) was utilized followed by a Tukey post-test correction. b Immunoblotting showed that N-Cadherin and β-Catenin were significantly higher in neonatal P1 and sharply declined in P21 and adult mouse hearts (n = 10, 6, and 8, respectively). A one-way ANOVA test (p < 0.0001 in relative N-Cadherin and β-Catenin expression) was utilized followed by a Tukey post-test correction. c Schematic illustration of cardiac apical resection (AR) in P1 neonatal mice. CMs proliferation (by pH3 staining) and Cdh2 expression levels were assayed on P8 (day 7 post-AR) in apical (1), border (2 and 3) and remote zones (4 and 5). d Immunofluorescence (IF) staining showed a marked increase in pH3+ CMs (arrowheads) in post-resected, compared to sham-operated, neonatal mouse hearts, particularly in the apical and border zones. e Quantification of pH3+ CMs (n = 6 for sham-operated; and n = 8 for AR neonatal mouse hearts). A two-tailed t-test was utilized for comparison between groups. f Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed a significant (one-way ANOVA, p = 0.0326) upregulation of Cdh2 in mouse hearts following AR injury, highest in the apical zone and reduced gradually toward the remote zone (n = 4 in each group). g IF staining showed a marked increase in N-Cadherin in apical and border region in post-resected, compared to sham-operated, neonatal mouse hearts. h Quantification of N-Cadherin intensity revealed a significant (one-way ANOVA, p = 0.0011) upregulation of N-Cadherin in mouse hearts following AR injury (n = 5 for sham-operated; and n = 6 for AR neonatal mouse hearts). These Cdh2 and N-Cadherin expression gradients were not observed in the sham-operated heart. All experimental data are presented as means ± SEM. Exact p values are indicated in figures.

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