Fig. 2

ALK5 mediates TGF-β1-induced kisspeptin expression in HTR-8/SVneo cells. A and B Cells were pretreated with vehicle control (DMSO) or 10 μM SB431542 for 1 h, and then treated with 5 ng/mL TGF-β1 for 24 h. The kisspeptin mRNA levels (A) and protein levels (B) were examined by RT-qPCR and western blot, respectively. C and D Cells were transfected with 50 nM control siRNA (si-Ctrl) or ALK5 siRNA (si-ALK5) for 48 h, and then treated with 5 ng/mL TGF-β1 for 24 h. The kisspeptin and ALK5 mRNA levels (C) and protein levels (D) were examined by RT-qPCR and western blot, respectively. The results are expressed as the mean ± SEM of at least three independent experiments. Values that are statistically different from one another (p < 0.05) are indicated by different letters