Figure 6.

Activated ERK and JNK pathways are involved in V. alginolyticus-induced apoptosis. FHM cells were pre-incubated with 40 μM of ERK inhibitor (U0126-EtOH), 20 μM of p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) and 10 μM of JNK inhibitor (SP600125) as described in the Materials and Methods. Inhibitory effect on V. alginolyticus-induced apoptosis was evaluated using Hoechst33258 staining (A) and caspase-3 activity assay (B). Arrows indicate the fragmented nuclei, while arrowheads indicate condensed nuclei. Scale bar = 50 µm. The data are expressed as fold-increase compared to the corresponding values of caspase activity in uninfected cells (Ctrl) (3 independent experiments). A Kruskal Wallis test followed by a Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons test versus control group (** P < 0.01).