Increase in complement iC3b is associated with anti-inflammatory cytokine expression during late pregnancy in mice
Fig 4
Expression and localization of iC3b receptor CR3 in the uterine decidua and placenta.
(A) Changes in CR3 (Cd11b or Cd18) mRNA levels in P11, P15, or P19 decidua (solid bar) and P11, P15, or P19 placenta (white bar) (n = 3 mice each day). Actb mRNA was used as an internal control for RNA integrity. Values represent the mean ± SEM from three animals with duplicate samples. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences in mRNA levels (p < 0.05) when compared to that of P11. (B) Western blot analysis of CD11b expression in P11, P15, or P19 decidual and P11, P15, or P19 placental tissues. ACTB was used as an internal control. A representative data from three independent experiments containing protein samples from three different animals is shown. (C) Immunohistochemical detection of TPBPA and CD11b in P19 mouse placenta. Tissue sections were immunostained for a spongiotrophoblast specific TPBPA (a, c, and e) using anti-TPBPA antibody (a and c) or normal rabbit IgG (e) as a negative control. Boxed area in (a) is shown at a higher magnification in (c). Tissue sections were immunostained for iC3b receptor subunit CD11b (b, d, and f) using anti-CD11b antibody (b and d) or normal rabbit IgG (f) as a negative control. Boxed area in (b) is shown at a higher magnification (100 x) in (d). Scale bar = 200 μm (a, b, e, and f), or 100 μm (c and d), respectively. A representative immunostaining from three independent experiments is shown.