qPCR

Total RNA was extracted using a Fastgen200 RNA isolation system (Fastgen, Shanghai, China) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Then, 1 μg of RNA was reverse-transcribed into cDNAs using a Prime Script RT reagent kit (TaKaRa, Dalian, China). Expression levels of the Arl4c, YAP, CTGF, Shh, VEGF, PDGF, and TGFβ1 mRNAs were quantified using real-time PCR with a SYBR Green Kit (TaKaRa), as previously reported. Β-ACTIN was selected as a normalization control. The primer sequences for Arl4c, YAP, CTGF, Shh, VEGF, PDGF, TGFβ1 and β-actin are listed in Table S2.