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

Figure 6 Calpain-2 silencing mitigates dithiothreitol-upregulated calpain-2 expression, caspase-12 activation and apoptosis of BRL-3A cells. BRL-3A cells were transfected with, or without, control or calpain-2 specific siRNA for 48 h and treated with, or without, dithiothreitol (DTT). The relative levels of calpain-2 expression and caspase-12 activation were quantified by Western blot. The percentages of apoptotic cells were quantified by flow cytometry. Data are representative images or expressed as the mean ± SD of each group of cells from three separate experiments. A: Calpain-2 silencing; B: Calpain-2 silencing mitigates DTT-upregulated calpain-2 expression; C: Calpain-2 silencing decreases DTT-induced caspase-12 activation; D, E: Calpain-2 silencing mitigates DTT-triggered apoptosis of BRL-3A cells. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01.