Fig. 3

E2F2 participates in RA inflammation through STAT1 and PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathways. RNA-seq was performed to screen target genes downstream of E2F2 in RASFs. a,b Heat maps indicate the most differentially expressed genes in RASFs with E2F2 knocked-down. Colored bands represent the change in gene expression: red, downregulation; blue, upregulation. c–e In-vitro verification of genes related to inflammation in RA was performed using qRT-PCR. mRNA levels of STAT1 (c), AKT1 (d), and AKT2 (e). f Western blot was performed to test inhibitory effects of siE2F2 on expression of E2F2, STAT1, AKT1, AKT2, p-AKT, and the p65 subunit of NF-κB. All results are presented as the mean ± SEM of three independent experiments performed in triplicate. NC knockdown scramble control, si small interfering