Figure 4.

TCTP overexpression by lentiviral transduction prevents apoptosis and induces proliferation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). (A) Western blot showing the expression of TCTP (green) and β-actin (red) in nontransduced (CTRL) PASMCs, using lentivirus cells that were transduced with an empty lentiviral vector (Empty) or human TCTP (H-TPT1) or rat Tctp (R-TPT1). (B) Summary data showing the expression of TCTP in transduced and nontransduced PASMCs. Densitometry of TCTP expression levels relative to β-actin. (C) Proliferation assessment of PASMCs cultured in complete media with growth factors and 10% FBS with or without transduction with H-TPT1 or R-TPT1. Cells were counted when 80–90% confluence was reached. (D) Caspase activity measurements of nontransduced cells (CTRL) and transduced PASMCs with vector alone (Empty), H-TPT1, or R-TPT1. One-way ANOVA; ^#P < 0.001 versus CTRL; *P < 0.001 versus Empty. Error bars represent mean ± SEM.