Calpain-2 activity promotes aberrant endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis in hepatocytes

Figure 2 Dithiothreitol induces endoplasmic reticulum stress in BRL-3A cells. BRL-3A cells were treated in triplicate with, or without, 2.0 mmol/L dithiothreitol for the indicated time periods, and the relative levels of glucose-regulated protein 78, activating transcription factor 4 and C/EBP-homologous protein to β-actin expression and PERK phosphorylation in each group of cells were quantified by Western blot. Data are representative images or expressed as the mean ± SD of each group of cells from three separate experiments. A: Relative glucose-regulated protein 78 expression; B: Relative PERK phosphorylation; C: Relative activating transcription factor 4 expression; D: Relative C/EBP-homologous protein expression. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01.