FIGURE 4.

Hepatic apoB levels (A), liver function tests (B), and relative hepatic levels of selected transcripts encoding proteins involved in activation of fibrosis and ER stress (C) in male WT and Tm6sf2^−/− mice described in Fig. 3A. A, immunoblotting analysis was performed on liver protein (50 μg) using a rabbit anti-mouse apoB polyclonal antibody (1:1,000; Abcam) and ECL (SuperSignal West Pico Kit, Thermo Scientific). The ECL signal was visualized using a LI-COR imager (Odyssey Fc imager) and analyzed using LI-COR Image Studio software. B, plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in chow-fed male mice. C, RNA levels were detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), normalized to levels of 36B4 and expressed relative to the levels in the WT animals (n = 5). COL1A1, collagen alpha-1(I) chain; ACTA2, actin, aortic smooth muscle; XBP1s/u, X-box-binding protein 1 spliced/unspliced; ATF4, activating transcription factor 4; EDEM, ER degradation enhancer, mannosidase α-like 1; CHOP(DDIT3), C/EBP-homologous protein. Values are means ± S.E. (error bars). *, p < 0.05. AU, arbitrary units.