1. VE-cadherin protein and mRNA are decreased in the retinal vessels of diabetic rats.
VE-cadherin protein and mRNA are decreased in the retinal vessels of diabetic rats. Representative retinal whole mounts from control and diabetic rats stained with anti–VE-cadherin antibody and examined by confocal microscopy. VE-cadherin expression was evident at the interfaces between adjacent endothelial cells in control nondiabetic animals (A and B), while it was mostly obliterated from the microvessels in the diabetic retina at 2 weeks (C) and 8 weeks (D) of diabetes. Images shown are reconstructions of a series of Z-stacks of retinal blood vessel segments. Vascular networks were isolated from whole retinas of diabetic and nondiabetic animals as described in research design and methods. A phase-contrast image of such a network is shown in E. Total RNA was isolated and semiquantitative real-time RT-PCR performed. Vessels from diabetic animals demonstrated less VE-cadherin mRNA than vessels from nondiabetic controls (F). *Significantly less than nondiabetic controls (P = ). n = 3 animals for staining and PCR analysis. Bar = 25 μm. (Please see for a high-quality digital representation of this figure.)‏
Deepti Navaratna et al. Diabetes 2007;56:
©2007 by American Diabetes Association