Assessment of LV remodelling induced by PAB upon cardiac depletion of Hand2. (A) Assessment of LV eccentricity index at end-diastole and (B) end-systole; (C) quantification of cardiomyocyte CSA from images of histological sections stained for WGA, n =30 microscopic field/heart, 3 hearts. (D–H) Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed to assess the expression levels of several genes known to be related to cardiac hypertrophy in RV tissue from Hand2^F/F and MCM-Hand2^F/F animals either after sham or PAB surgery: (D) Nppa; (E) Nppb; (F) β-myosin heavy chain; (G) Acta1; (H) regulator of Calcineurin 1 Isoform 4; (I) quantification of collagen deposition from images of histological sections stained for Sirius Red, n =30 microscopic field/heart, 3 hearts. (J–L) Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of (J) collagen type I alpha 1 chain; (K) TGFb and (L) Eng; (M) representative images of western blot analysis of COL1A, PAI-1, ENG, and GAPDH as loading control in LV tissue of Hand2^F/F and MCM-Hand2^F/F animals subjected to either sham or PAB surgery (N) capillaries in RV sections of Hand2^F/F and MCM-Hand2^F/F animals subjected to either sham or PAB surgery were identified by isolectin B4 immunohistochemistry combined with WGA and, from the images obtained, we determined the ratio of capillaries per cardiomyocyte ratios; (O) quantitative real-time PCR analysis of Vegfr2 expression levels in the RV of Hand2^F/F and MCM-Hand2^F/F animals, subjected to either sham or PAB surgery. (P) Representative images of western blot analysis of VEGFR2 and GAPDH as loading control in LV tissue of Hand2^F/F and MCM-Hand2^F/F animals subjected to either sham or PAB surgery. Data are from 5–10 animals per group, except for the western blots where protein lysates from 3–5 hearts per group were pulled in one sample. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. ∗P<0.05 between indicated groups (error bars are SEM).