Course of Smad4 expression in the liver of mice during <i>E. multilocularis</i> infection in experimental mice.

<p>A: Course of Smad4 expression observed by immune-staining in the liver from <i>E. multilocularis</i> infected mice compared to control mice, calculated as the percent of positive cells to the total number of counted cells (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0055379#s4" target="_blank">Materials and Methods</a> section). B: Relative amount of Smad4 calculated from semi-quantitative analysis of the Western blot using densitometry. C: Representative example of the course of Smad4 protein measured by Western Blot in experimental mice. D: Course of Smad4 mRNA expression measured by real time RT-PCR in experimental mice. a: ‘close’ versus ‘control’; b: ‘close’ versus ‘distant’. *<i>P</i><0.05; **<i>P</i><0.01. ‘Control’, non-infected mice; ‘Lesion’: <i>E. multilocularis</i> metacestode and surrounding immune infiltrate; ‘Close’: liver parenchyma close to <i>E. multilocularis</i> lesion; ‘Distant’: liver parenchyma distant from <i>E. multilocularis</i> lesion.AU: arbitrary units; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.