Figure 5 | Cell Death & Disease

Figure 5

From: Protective effect of autophagy on human retinal pigment epithelial cells against lipofuscin fluorophore A2E: implications for age-related macular degeneration

Figure 5

Rapamycin enhanced A2E-induced autophagy in RPE cells. (a) Fluorescence microscopy was used to monitor the formation of LC3 puncta in RPE cells treated with 25 μM A2E and/or 100 nM rapamycin for 12 h. Scale bar: 20 μm. (b) Quantification of LC3-positive puncta per cell. Data are shown as the means±S.E.M., n=6. **P<0.01, ***P<0.001, ANOVA. (c) Total levels of mTOR and Akt, together with phosphorylation levels of mTOR and Akt in RPE cells treated with A2E or A2E combined with rapamycin were determined with a western blot assay. (d) Expression of Beclin-1, LC3-I, and LC3-II protein in RPE cells treated with A2E or A2E combined with rapamycin were examined by western blot assay. (e−h) Quantification of expression levels of p-mTOR/mTOR, p-Akt/Akt, Beclin-1,and LC3-II proteins. Data are presented as the means±S.E.M., n=3. **P<0.01, ***P<0.001, ANOVA

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