Figure 6. Immunohistochemical analysis of E-cadherin expression

The analysis of E-cadherin immunoreactivity (Alexa fluor 488, green) was performed using confocal microscopy. DAPI staining of the nuclei are represented by the red color palette. Control (A and B), FGF-2 (C and D), TGF-β2 (E and F), and TGF-β2/FGF-2 (G and H) lens epithelial explants under normal conditions (A, C, E, and G) and after heat shocked treatment (B, D, F, and H) are shown (n=4 for each treatment group). Both the control (A and B) and FGF-2 (C and D) treated explants show normal E-cadherin expression. The TGF-β2-treated explants (E and F; arrows) demonstrated lower E-cadherin immunoreactivity when compare to the controls. The simultaneous treatment of epithelial explants with TGF-β2 and FGF-2 (G and H) induced significant loss of E-cadherin organization and diffused staining (arrows). Heat shocked treatment did not affect the E-cadherin expression levels in both the control and FGF-2 epithelial explants. However, the heat shocked TGF-β2 and TGF-β2/FGF-2 (F and H) demonstrated greater retention of E-cadherin at the cellular junction than the normal TGF-β2 and TGF-β2/FGF-2 (E and G) explants, respectively. The scale bar represents 50 μm.