Fig. 5.

Hyperglycemia increases Smad2 expression via Mst1 and a higher Smad2 level is associated with increased ARPE-19 cell apoptosis. a–b ARPE-19 cells were treated with hyperglycemia and/or transfected with Mst1 siRNAs. Then, the expression of Smad2 was determined via western blotting. Smad2 adenovirus was used to induce Smad2 overexpression in Mst1-deleted cells. The overexpression efficiency was confirmed via western blotting. c–d Immunofluorescence assay for Smad2. The fluorescence intensity of Smad2 staining was recorded in ARPE-19 cells treated with hyperglycemia. e MTT assays for cell viability in response to Mst1 deletion and Smad2 overexpression in ARPE-19 cells. f–g TUNEL staining for apoptotic ARPE-19 cells. The number of TUNEL-positive cells was evaluated. *p < 0.05