Fig. 4.

Short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of sulfatase 2 (SULF2) ameliorates lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. Lipid accumulation was assessed in HepG2 cells expressing shRNA targeting Sulf2 or scrambled shRNA, followed by incubation with 400 µM of palmitic acid or vehicle. BODIPY 493/503 lipid stain (A, green) and DAPI nucleic acid stain (B, blue) were assessed using confocal microscopy. Images of BODIPY and DAPI staining were merged (C). The number of lipid droplets per area (D) and average size of lipid droplets (E) in palmitic acid-treated HepG2 cells expressing scrambled vs. Sulf2 shRNA were assessed using ImageJ software.