Decreased vascular lesion formation in mice with inducible endothelial-specific expression of protein kinase Akt
J. Clin. Invest. Yasushi Mukai, et al. 116:334 doi:10.1172/JCI26223 [Go to this article.]

Figure 5
EC apoptosis. (A) Immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting for cleaved (activated) caspase-3. MLECs from induced and noninduced EC-Akt Tg mice were examined (upper panels). To induce apoptosis, a serum deprivation method for 24 hours was used. Positive staining for cleaved caspase-3 (green) is noted in cells without gene induction. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. n = 3 in each group. *P < 0.05 versus ECs from EC-Akt Tg mice without induction. Counterstaining with Hoechst 33258 shows shrinkage of nuclei in some cells with cleaved caspase-3 expression (arrowheads). Expression of myrAkt was confirmed by detection of the HA tag (red) (lower left panel). Representative Western blots for cleaved and noncleaved caspase-3 in ECs with or without myrAkt gene induction are shown in the lower right panel. (B) Immunocytochemistry for cleaved (activated) caspase-3 in ECs isolated from aortae of induced and noninduced EC-Akt mice. A representative result from 3 separate experiments is shown. Cl. cas-3, cleaved caspase-3; UnCl. cas-3, uncleaved caspase-3. Magnification, _400.