Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition by Modulating the IRE1α Branch of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response

Figure 6

MSCs attenuated EMT via the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway. (a) The protein expression levels of IRE1α and p-IRE1α were measured using western blotting and quantified using densitometry in ImageJ software (n = 4, one-way ANOVA with Duncan’s post hoc test). (b) The mRNA expression level of IRE1α was measured using Q-PCR (n = 3, one-way ANOVA with Duncan’s post hoc test). (c) A549 cells were treated with 4 μ8c (5 and 10 μM) for 48 hr, and the protein expression levels of IRE1α and XBP-1s were measured using western blotting and quantified using densitometry in ImageJ software (n = 4, one-way ANOVA with Duncan’s post hoc test). (d) A549 cells were treated with 10 ng/ml TGF-β1 in the presence or absence of 4 μ8c for 72 hr. The protein expression levels of p-IRE1α, XBP-1s, E-cadherin and vimentin were measured using western blotting and quantified using densitometry in ImageJ software (n = 4, one-way ANOVA with Duncan’s post hoc test). The data are shown as the means ± SEMs (, , vs. the control group; ^###, ^##, ^# vs. the TGF-β1 group).

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