Figure 6.

Caspase-3 activation is significantly greater in transgenic mice that overexpress Par-4 compared to wild-type mice. A. Coronal sections were immunostained with the mouse caspase-3 primary antibody, which only recognizes and labels the cleaved, activated form of caspase-3. Caspase-3 activation was measured in sham-operated mice and at 8, 12, and 24 hr intervals after weight drop. Caspase-3 activation increases at each time point in the ipsilateral cortex (Ips), while activation in the contralateral cortex (Ctl) remains unchanged in both wild-type (top left) and Par-4 transgenic mice (bottom left). B. Graph shows a higher degree of caspase-3 activation in Par-4 transgenic mice following cortical impact in the ipsilateral cortex (Ips), but not in the contralateral cortex (Ctl). Values are the means and standard derivations of determinations made from coronal brain sections through the area of impact and adjacent to the area of impact. ***p<0.001 compared with corresponding values in cells from wild-type mice. ANOVA with Scheffe's post-hoc tests.