Fig. 2

Enhanced He4 expression in CS-exposed mice. A Representative immunohistochemical analysis of He4 in the mouse lung sections are shown. Compared to controls, the intensity of tan staining indicating He4 expression was significantly increased in bronchial epithelium of CS-exposed mice. The staining alteration was clearly marked by the arrowheads. magnification = × 100. The red-boxed area indicates a region of higher magnification. B He4 mRNA expression was upregulated in the lung tissues of CS-exposed mice. C Representative image of Western blots against He4 was displayed and the band intensity was quantified using ImageJ. Each lane represents a different lung tissue subject. Data are presented as mean ± SEM, n = 10 for controls and n = 10 for CS-exposed mice. P-values were calculated using Student’s t-test. *P < 0.05 and ***P < 0.001 represent significant differences compared to controls. He4, human epididymis protein 4; Con, control mice; CS, cigarette smoke exposed mice