Figure 6 | Cell Death & Disease

Figure 6

From: Dickkopf1 destabilizes atherosclerotic plaques and promotes plaque formation by inducing apoptosis of endothelial cells through activation of ER stress

Figure 6

DKK1 activates CHOP and IRE1α signaling during ERS to induce apoptosis. HUVECs were transiently transfected with negative control (NC) siRNA, CHOP siRNA (si-CHOP) or IRE1α siRNA (si-IRE1α) for 24 h and then treated with rDKK1 (300 ng/ml) for 6 h. (a,b) Western blotting for quantification of the protein levels of cleaved caspase-3, Bcl-2, and Bax. n=6. (c,e) HUVECs with stained nuclei (green) were considered TUNEL-positive (arrows). The percentage of TUNEL-positive cells was calculated and quantified. n=3. (d,f) Flow cytometric analysis for quantification of early apoptotic cells (i.e., Annexin V-positive and 7-AAD-negative cells, lower-right quadrant). n=3. Data are shown as the mean±S.D. *P<0.05 versus NC or control; #P<0.05 versus only rDKK1 treatment

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