Fig. 2

Analysis of miR-29a-3p and Robo1 expression in murine schistosomiasis. A, B The expression of miR-29a-3p and Robo1 in liver samples during infection was detected by qPCR (n = 4–5). C, D Robo1 protein was determined by western blotting, quantified using ImageJ, and normalized to GAPDH (n = 6). E, F Primary hepatocytes (Heps), Kupffer cells (KCs), and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were isolated from uninfected and infected (8 weeks post-infection) livers, and the level of miR-29-3p was determined by qPCR (n = 3). G Representative immunohistochemical staining of Robo1 and immunofluorescence staining of Robo1 (green) colocalization with α-SMA (red) in liver sections were detected. Yellow arrows denote positive cells. Scale bar, 50 μm. H, I Primary HSCs were isolated from liver tissues, and the expression of miR-29a-3p and Robo1 in HSCs was detected by qPCR (n = 4). J Correlations between the mRNA levels of Robo1 and miR-29a-3p in the HSCs of mice (n = 20). Data are presented as the mean ± SD from two independent experiments. Significance was determined by the two-tailed Student’s t test (A, B, D, E, H, and I) or one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s correction for comparisons between two groups (F) or Spearman’s rank test (J). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001, compared with 0W samples (A, B, D, H, and I) . miR-29a-3p: microRNA-29a-3p; Robo1: Roundabout homolog 1; Heps: hepatocytes; KCs: Kupffer cells; HSCs: hepatic stellate cells; ns: not significant