Figure 4

RT-PCR amplification of ERβ mRNA in cultured human disc cells from the annulus. Panel A is a photograph of an ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel electrophoresis showing gene expression of ERβ as a single band at the predicted 323 bp size. First lane, base pair controls; mRNA from lumbar disc cells from a 30 year old male (lane 1), mRNA from lumbar disc cells from a 28 year old female (lane 2), mRNA from lumbar disc cells from a 37 year old female (lane 3), mRNA from cells from a thoracic disc from a 35 year old male donor (lane 4). Panel B shows expression of the control HPRT gene in the lanes as described for Panel A (size markers as indicated in Panel A).