Lack of PKCθ in <i>mdx</i> mice reduces muscle degeneration.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Representative western blot analysis of total protein fraction of TA muscles derived from 2 mo old WT, PKCθ^−/−, <i>mdx</i> and <i>mdx/θ^−/−</i> mice, as indicated. The blot was incubated with the indicated primary antibodies. GAPDH expression level is shown in the bottom for equal loading. PKCθ activation in muscle derived from <i>mdx</i> (black bar) mice, expressed as fold induction in respect to WT (white bar, assumed as 1), is shown as the ratio of pPKCθ/PKCθ (right panel), as determined by densitometric analysis from three independent experiments (*<i>p<0.05</i>). (<b>B</b>) EBD uptake in diaphragm derived from 2 mo old <i>mdx</i> or <i>mdx/θ^−/−</i> mice, as indicated, shown under light (<b>a, c</b>) and epifluorescence (<b>b, d</b>) microscopy. (<b>C</b>) EBD uptake in TA muscle derived from 2 mo old <i>mdx</i> (<b>a</b>) or <i>mdx/θ^−/−</i> (<b>b</b>) mice, as indicated; immunofluorescence analysis of IgG accumulation in <i>mdx</i> (<b>c</b>) or <i>mdx/θ^−/−</i> (<b>d</b>) mice; bar = 200 µm. (<b>D</b>) Mononuclear cells accumulation, revealed as Hoechst staining, around single degenerating fiber, detected as EBD uptake (<b>a–b</b>) and IgG immunofluorescence (<b>c–d</b>), in TA muscles from <i>mdx</i> (<b>a</b> and <b>c</b>) or <i>mdx/θ^−/−</i> (<b>b</b> and <b>d</b>). (<b>E</b>) Representative western Blot analysis of IgG accumulation in TA muscles from <i>mdx</i> or <i>mdx/θ^−/−</i> (two mice/genotype), as indicated. Densitometric analysis is shown in the bottom (<i>mdx</i>, black bar; <i>mdx/θ^−/−</i>, grey bar, *<i>p<0.05</i>).