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Figure 4 | Molecular Cancer

Figure 4

From: Id4 deficiency attenuates prostate development and promotes PIN-like lesions by regulating androgen receptor activity and expression of NKX3.1 and PTEN

Figure 4

Pten, Akt and phospho-Akt (p-Akt) expression in wild type (Id4+/+) and Id4 knockout (Id4-/-) mice. A: Pten was expressed at high level in the normal prostate both in the nucleus and cytoplasm of Id4+/+ prostate. B and C: Pten expression was significantly reduced or undetectable (black arrowheads) in the Id4-/- prostate ducts. Note the hyperplastic regions in Panel B. Occasionally, few Pten positive cells were observed that were primarily localized to epithelial cells near the basement membrane (Inset in Panel B). Pten expression was observed in the urethra (asterisk, Panel C) but not in prostatic ducts. The inset in Panels A and B are enlarged boxed regions in corresponding panels. Panels D-F: Lobe specific expression of phospho-Akt in Id4-/- mice. Increased phospho-Akt was observed in dorsal prostate (Panel D) but not in ventral (E and inset)) and lateral (F) prostate. Phosphorylation of Akt correlated with total Akt expression (G-I) in Id4-/- prostate. Akt expression was undetectable in lateral and ventral prostate (G) but was detectable in dorsal prostate (H and I) from Id4-/- mice. Panels J-L: Total Akt expression in wild type mice prostate. Akt expression was highly variable within the glandular epithelium (J). Regions of undetectable to high Akt expression were juxtaposed (K and L). Similar expression profile (low to high) of phospho-Akt was observed in wild type prostates (Panels M-O). The cells staining positive for phospho-Akt were counted in tubules that also stained positive for Akt. The ratio of pAkt/Akt positive cells is shown in Panel L (***: P < 0.001). Representative images are shown. The scale bar is 100 um.

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