Figure 3.

Effects of TSPO gene deletion on mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular calcium. (A) TSPO gene deletion resulted in significant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential in KO cells (p < 0.001) Treating the cells (C20 wildtype) with the uncoupling agent FCCP (20 µM) reduced the fluorescence ratio to about 50%, indicating the dynamic range of the JC-1 assay. (B) JC-1 staining was not changed after lentiviral TSPO knockdown. (C) TSPO knockout cells show significantly higher cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels (p < 0.001), suggesting an important role of TSPO in regulating Ca²⁺ homeostasis. (D) Deletion of TSPO gene leads to decreased expression of VDAC1 (voltage-dependent anion channel) protein in knockout cells (p < 0.01). (E) Reduction of TSPO protein level in knockdown C20 cells was not sufficient to alter the level of intracellular calcium.