FIG. 4.

Effect of siRNA-mediated knockdown of CSE and/or CBS on HSP induction and cytotoxicity in BAECs caused by exposure to cadmium. A, Effect of CSE and CBS knockdown on RSS levels. Cells were transfected with control siRNA, CSE siRNA, and/or CBS siRNA for 48 h, then the cellular RSS levels were determined using the fluorescent probe SSP4. The fluorescence images of the cells (left) and the relative intensity (right) were shown. The scale bar indicates 100 µm. B, Effect of CSE/CBS double knockdown on HSP induction caused by exposure to cadmium. Cells were transfected with control siRNA, CSE siRNA, or CBS siRNA for 48 h, then exposed to cadmium chloride (1, 2.5, 5, or 10 µM) for 24 h. The total cell lysates were subjected to Western blotting analysis using the antibodies indicated. C, Effect of CSE and CBS knockdown on cadmium-induced cytotoxicity. Cells were transfected with control siRNA, CSE siRNA, and/or CBS siRNA for 48 h, then exposed to cadmium chloride (5, 10, 20, or 30 µM) for 24 h. Cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. Each value is the mean ± SE of 3 independent experiments. * P < .05 and ** P < .01 compared with the siControl results.