Induction of Apoptosis Coupled to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress through Regulation of CHOP and JNK in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Figure 2

ERS was involved with BM-MSCs from SLE patients. (a) ER ultrastructural changes in the BM-MSCs from SLE patients and normal controls. The BM-MSCs were processed and examined under a transmission electron microscope. Compared with the control, there was an extensive increase in the size of the ER in BM-MSCs from SLE patients, in which arrows indicate protein aggregates within ER lumen. ER, endoplasmic reticulum; N, nucleus. Arrow indicates the normal ER or the dilatation of ER. (b) Upregulated expression of genes involved in ERS in BM-MSCs of SLE patients and normal controls. The levels of p-IRE-1, p-PERK, p-eIF 2α and CHOP were analyzed by using Western Blot analysis. Total IRE-1, PERK, eIF 2α and GAPDH were used as control for protein loading. (c) Immunofluorescence analysis of CHOP expression in the control group or SLE group. (Bar represents mean ± SD, compared with the normal group).

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