Figure 3

Dicer levels are downregulated in the diabetic rat skin wounds on d 7 and 12 postwounding. (A) Total RNA from normal and diabetic unwounded (UW) and wounded (WO) (d 1, 7 and 12 postwounding) rat skin (2 µg) was reverse-transcribed, and levels of Dicer were quantified by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) using specific primers. Data were normalized to 18S rRNA (n = 6). Transcript levels of Dicer in each sample with respect to that in the normal unwounded rat skin are shown. (B) Skin samples as in (A) were collected and lysed, and lysates (90 µg) were subjected to Western blot analyses using anti-Dicer antibody (n = 4). Hsc70 was taken as the loading control. Densitometric analyses are provided in the panel below the Western blots, and results at each stage are Dicer levels as compared with normal rat skin (unwounded). UW, unwounded; WO, wounded. All values are means ± SEM. *p < 0.05 compared with normal wound tissues on the respective day postwounding. ^#p < 0.05 compared with normal rat skin (unwounded).