Fig. 5

Gap26 and Cx43-siRNA significantly inhibited Cx43-GJs function in Ang II-pretreated HUASMCs. A Cell immunofluorescence was used to test Cx43 expression. Cx43 protein in was stained in green and cell nuclei were stained in blue. n = 3–5 per group. B, C “Parachute” dye coupling assay was applied to measure the function of GJs. In merged images, donor cells were stained in yellow by Calcein (green) and Dil (red); receiver cells were stained in green with Calcein. Each dot represents the ratio of “recipient cells” (green)/ “donor cells” (yellow) in one field. Three different fields were captured in every experiment. The experiment was repeated 3 times (n = 3 per group). *p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001. All values expressed as mean ± SEM