Fig. 3

Inhibition of the Activin A ligand, but not the receptor, restores extracellular matrix protein expression. (a-f) Hematoxylin and eosin staining shows that ECdnT cells didn’t invade in any of the Fibro-ActA cultures, however invasion was increased in empty vector cultures treated with an Activin A neutralizing antibody (nAb) or A83-01. (g-l) Epithelial cell podoplanin (PDPN) expression was restored to control levels in Fibro-ActA cultures following treatment with nAb. (m-r) Treatment of Fibro-ActA cultures with nAb partially restored stromal fibrillar fibronectin (FN) expression (asterisks) to untreated empty vector control levels. This effect was not observed following treatment with A83-01. (s-x) Laminin 5γ2 expression was increased in Fibro-ActA cultures treated with nAb and A83-01. (y-d’) Ki67 staining remained relatively unchanged between conditions. (e’-j’) Collagen IV deposition at the basement membrane was restored to the expression level of the control upon treatment of Fibro-ActA with nAb. This deposition was not observed in Fibro-ActA cultures treated with A83-01. (k’-p’) Collagen IV staining, higher magnification of boxed region in e’-j’. Arrows indicate the collagen IV basement membrane, laid by the epithelial cells. (Short scale bar = 20 μm; long scale bar = 5 μm) (n = 2)