Figure 4.

LPS activates MTOR via upstream TLR4-MYD88 signaling in HBE cells. (A) The expression of TLR4 and MYD88 in HBE cells after LPS stimulation for 24 h. (B-F) Cells were transfected with indicated the siRNA for 24 h, and incubated with 100 μg/ml LPS for an additional 24 h. The levels of MTOR and autophagy-related proteins were assessed by western blot (B). TEM images and semiquantified levels of AVs in HBE cells with knockdown of TLR4 (C) or MYD88 (D) and stimulated with LPS at 100 μg/ml for 24 h. AVs were marked by arrows. Scale bars: 1 μm. The mRNA expression of IL6 and IL8 (E-F) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; n.s, p > 0.05. Data are presented as mean ± SEM of 3 independent experiments. CTL, control.