Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 and the HIV-1 Tat Protein Synergize in Promoting Bcl-2 Expression and Preventing Endothelial Cell Apoptosis: Implications for the Pathogenesis of AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma
Figure 3
Effect of FGF-2 and Tat on human endothelial cell anoikis. HUVECs were seeded onto poly- (HEMA)-coated plates and incubated for 6 h with FGF-2 (1 or 10 ng/mL) and/or Tat (10 ng/mL), controlled by their dilution buffer (PBS-0.1% BSA). HUVECs plated onto gelatin were the negative control for apoptosis. In (a) are the results from the ELISA test determining the amount of nucleosomes in HUVECs cytoplasm. The mean OD readings from 4 independent experiments (+SD) are presented. In (b) HUVECs apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL test. The mean percentage (+SD) of apoptotic cells was determined from 4 high-power fields (40X magnification) of 3 independent experiments.
