Skip to main content
Fig. 5 | Journal of Biological Engineering

Fig. 5

From: Novel 3D embryo implantation model within macroporous alginate scaffolds

Fig. 5

Effect of ERα overexpression on E-cadherin expression and on JAR attachment in ERα-negative cells, cultured with sequential hormonal treatment. A E-cadherin mRNA expression levels in estrogen-treated HEC-1A cell constructs after 1 and 2 weeks of culture. Quantification of E-cadherin mRNA expression levels was done by qPCR. mRNA expression levels were normalized to the RPLP0 mRNA and to expression in 1-week old cell constructs in hormone-free medium (n = 10). B E-cadherin mRNA expression levels in the 3 different culture models were measured by qPCR. The fold change of mRNA levels are relative to constitutively expressed RPLP0 mRNA, and all data sets were normalized to 1-week HEC-1A constructs treated with hormone-free medium (*- p < 0.05, 2-way ANOVA, Bonferroni’s post-hoc test, n = 12 (HEC-1A), n = 11 (HEC-1A-ERα), n = 9 (RL95–2)). C E-cadherin protein expression. a Representative E-cadherin immuno-staining of thin cryo-sections of 3-week-old non-transfected HEC-1A (left) and ERα-transfected HEC-1A (right) cell constructs. (Bar: 100 μm). b Quantification of E-cadherin protein expression levels by WB. Expression levels were quantified by the band intensity relative to GAPDH and all data sets were normalized to HEC-1A constructs treated with hormone-free medium (*- p < 0.05, 2-way ANOVA, Bonferroni’s post-hoc test, n = 3). c Representative E-cadherin WB. D JAR spheroid attachment to ERα-transfected HEC-1A cell constructs after 3 weeks. Spheroids were observed on 2 of the 3 transfected cell constructs. Representative photomicrographs of (a) JAR spheroid attached to ERα-transfected HEC-1A epithelial culture. High magnification of (b) a JAR spheroid, (c) ERα-transfected HEC-1A epithelial cells within the macroporous alginate scaffolds, and (d) the spheroid-epithelial interface. e No JAR was attached to any of the three non-transfected HEC-1A cell constructs. f High magnification of non-transfected HEC-1A cells within the porous scaffold, with no JAR attachment. (Bar: a, e: 200 μm, b-d, f: 100 μm)

Back to article page