Figure 5.

Involvement of ADAMTS-4 in smooth muscle cell apoptosis. (A) Western blot analysis of ADAMTS-4 in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) treated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), angiotensin II (AngII), or palmitic acid (PA). Quantification analysis showing that PA significantly induced ADAMTS-4 expression in SMCs. (B) SMCs treated with different dose of PA. Quantification of western blot analysis showing that PA induced ADAMTS-4 expression in a dose-dependent fashion. (C) Representative images and quantification of TUNEL staining show that PA induced SMC apoptosis and that the PA-induced apoptosis can be prevented by ADAMTS-4 siRNA. (D) Representative images of western blots showing that the levels of ADAMTS-4, cleaved-caspase-3 levels, and PARP-1 cleavage were reduced in ADAMTS-4 siRNA–transfected cells. Data shown are representative of 3 independent experiments.