Figure 6

Expression analysis of α-sarcoglycan (α-SG) on dystrophic tibialis anterior (TA) muscle sections from α-SG null mice. α-SG immunostaining on TA sections from α-SG null mice 5 weeks after treatment with mesoangioblasts in PBS (A,C) or with mesoangioblasts in polyethylene glycol-fibrinogen (PF) carrier (B, D); immunofluorescence of the α-SG is red and that of lacZ is green, with the 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) nuclear counterstain being blue (C,D). The number of α-SG positive fibers was increased with the PF mesoangioblaststreatment and localized in proximity to lacZ-positive engrafted myofibers. (E) Western blotting analysis for α-SG in total protein extracts from three different treated dystrophic TA muscles (n = 5, one representative shown in the figure), revealed that the α-SG expression in the dystrophic TA muscle treated with PF mesoangioblasts was higher than that in TA muscle treated with PBS mesoangioblasts, and was closer to the level seen in wild-type controls (Cont). (F) The α-SG/glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) ratio densitometry analysis from five different western blots revealed higher α-SG protein expression level in the dystrophic TA samples treated with PF mesoangioblasts, reaching a level slightly above 50% of the level seen in wild-type mice (*P<0.05 by ANOVA test of the considered samples). Scale bar: (A-D) 50 μm.