Sexual Dimorphism in the Regulation of Estrogen, Progesterone, and Androgen Receptors by Sex Steroids in the Rat Airway Smooth Muscle Cells

Figure 2

Regulation of ERβ protein content by sex hormones in airway smooth muscle (ASM) and airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC). ERβ protein content in ASM and ASMC of gonadectomized female and male rats were treated as described in Figure 1 legend. (a) A representative assay of four Western blot experiments is shown (details are described in Figure 1 legend). (b) Proteins detected by Western blot were quantified by densitometric analysis and corrected by GAPDH protein content. Results are expressed as mean ± SD, . compared with vehicle treatment, compared with vehicle treatment, and compared with vehicle treatment. (c) Flow cytometry histogram plots are based on forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC) gating for ASMC. This was validated using actin α-smooth muscle and ERβ staining. A representative example of the gating strategy is shown. (d) Geometric mean fluorescence intensity (gMFI) for ERβ expression on ASMC. Results are expressed as mean ± SD, . compared with vehicle treatment. Results are expressed as mean ± SD, . compared with vehicle treatment, compared with vehicle treatment, and compared with vehicle treatment.

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