Fig. 1

Efficiency and safety of AAV9-mediated PIASy silencing in the rat heart. a Distribution of Evans blue dye (2% v/w in 50 μl) in the rat heart at 10 min after intraventricular injection. b Green fluorescent protein (ZsGreen) expression mediated by the AAV9 vector in liver, lung, and heart samples at 15 d after intraventricular injection of AAV9-ZsGreen-shRNA (50 μl, 1.3 × 10¹¹ vg). Arrows indicate ZsGreen expressed in the heart. c–d AAV9 PIASy shRNA-mediated PIASy silencing in the rat heart. RNA and protein samples from the left ventricle were generated for qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively, at 15 d after AAV9-ZsGreen-shRNA administration (n = 5). GAPDH was used as an internal control. Values are the mean ± standard error of the mean, ^*P < 0.05 vs. Scramble-shRNA and determined by Student’s t-test. e The effect of AAV9 PIASy shRNA on rat survival over the 15 d following AAV9 vector treatment (n = 20, P > 0.05, Kaplan–Meier method). f Histological analysis after H&E staining of rat tissue samples from the left ventricle free wall at 15 d after intraventricular AAV9-ZsGreen-shRNA injection. AAV9 adeno-associated virus subtype 9, H&E hematoxylin and eosin, PIASy protein inhibitor of activated STAT Y, qRT-PCR quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, shRNA short hairpin RNA