Figure 2. Characterization of Bsg in WT or mutant LX-2 human hepatic stellate cells.

(A) Western blotting (left panel) and densitometry (right panel) of wild type (WT) LX-2 cells and mutant cell lines reveals knockdown of Bsg and Nptn in the Bsg^MUT, Nptn^MUT and Bsg^MUT/Nptn^MUT cell lines. Bsg expression was slightly upregulated in the Nptn^MUT cell lines, and conversely, Nptn was slightly upregulated in the Bsg^MUT cell lines. Densitometry was normalized using GAPDH signals, and the horizontal dashed line marks levels of Bsg and Nptn in WT cells. Error bars indicate standard deviation of two independent replicates. (B) RT-qPCR data measuring the abundance of Bsg, Nptn, MCT1, and MCT4 transcripts within WT and mutant cells. Asterisks indicated significant differences in abundance from WT levels as determined by Welch’s t-test. As expected, Bsg transcript levels were significantly decreased in Bsg^MUT and Bsg^MUT/Nptn^MUT cell lines, and Nptn levels were significantly decreased in Nptn^MUT and Bsg^MUT/Nptn^MUT cell lines. MCT1 and MCT4 transcript levels were not significantly perturbed by genetic manipulation.