Inhibition of YAP1 Rescues Erectile Dysfunction by Inhibiting Phenotypic Modulation through Myocardin in Diabetic Rats

Figure 4

Myocardin blockade offset the inhibitory effect of YAP1 knockdown on reversing the contractile phenotype. (a) Confocal microscopy images of NC cells at 1,200x magnification revealed that the fluorescence signals overlapped in the nucleus and cytoplasm, suggesting interactions between YAP1 and myocardin. (b and c) YAP1 knockdown caused a reduction in the EdU+ cells (in red) percentage, which was similar to that in the myocardin group, while further inhibition of myocardin inhibited the impacts of YAP1 knockdown on cell growth. (d and e) The mRNA and protein expression levels of YAP1, myocardin, α-SMA, calponin, and OPN were measured employing qRT-PCR and western blotting. Transfection of shYAP1 lentivirus promoted the expression of myocardin, α-SMA, and calponin and inhibited OPN, consistent with the effects of myocardin overexpression. However, further inhibition of myocardin expression in YAP1 knockdown cells significantly offset the reversal of the contractile phenotype. Cell investigations were conducted n = 3. .

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