Figure 4. Cell adhesion molecule expression. Human conjunctival fibroblasts were exposed to 20 ng/ml of core and NS3 proteins for 6 h. Semiquantitative reverse transcription (RT)–PCR was performed for the CD44, ICAM-1, and INTGβ1 genes. A–C: Relative gene expression for CD44 and ICAM-1 was high in the core and NS3-treated cells; there was no difference in INTGβ1 gene expression. Data are represented as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) over the untreated control group. *p<0.05. PCR gel images for CD44 (D), ICAM-1 (E), and INTGβ1 (F). Data are representative of three independent experiments.