Fig. 7. Inhibition of CBP in early passage HMECs by antisense ODNs blocks apoptosis in rECM. Electron micrographs of early passage HMEC-LXSN control cells (passage 11) (A) and early passage HMEC-E6 cells (passage 11) (B) treated with CBP antisense (A3342V) ODN and grown in rECM for 9 days. Cells formed large, dense, irregularly shaped, multicellular colonies that have no central lumen (A,B). By contrast, early passage HMEC-E6 cells (passage 10) treated with inactive CBP ODN (scrA3342V) (C) underwent apoptosis when grown in rECM for 7 days as shown by (1) nuclear condensation (n), (2) cell shrinkage and separation, and (3) margination of chromatin (mr). Percentage of apoptotic cells in early passage HMEC-E6 cells (passage 11) (D) and early passage HMEC-LXSN controls (passage 11) (E) treated either with active (A3342V; CBP-as) or inactive (scrA3342V; CBP-scr) CBP-specific ODNs. Apoptosis was measured by TUNEL-staining. Apoptotic index was measured by calculating the percentage of TUNEL-stained cells relative to the total number of cells surveyed. Data represents an average of three independent experiments. Error bars show standard error.