Fig. 4.

a Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis of Ire1β And Ire1α genes in primary cultured astrocytes following exposure to aluminum and Tu for the indicated time. Pulse exposure to aluminum followed by continued culture for 7 days in normal medium resulted in up-regulation of the expression of Ire1β in primary cultured astrocytes. Total RNA was analyzed by RT-PCR for Ire1α and Ire1β mRNA expression in primary cultured astrocytes. Cells were treated with Tu (5 μg/ml) for 48 h or Al-gly (Al; 0.1 or 1.0 mM) for 48 or for 12 h followed by 7 days of culture in normal medium. GAPDH mRNA was also analyzed as the internal standard. The results are representative of three independent analyses from two replicate cultures. b Relative intensities of the bands (mean ± standard deviation, n = 3)