Research Paper Volume 16, Issue 3 pp 2438—2456

Figure 6. Setd8 negatively regulated VSMCs apoptosis and calcification through augmenting Mark4 expression in VSMCs. VSMCs were infected with lentiviral shRNA Setd8 (sh-Setd8) and shRNA Mark4 (sh-Mark4) or its negative control (sh-NC) in normal medium for 72 h. (A) Western blot analysis of Setd8, Mark4 and apoptosis-related proteins in VSMCs with sh-Setd8 and sh-Mark4. (B) Apoptosis of VSMCs with sh-Setd8 and sh-Mark4 was assessed by TUNEL staining. (C) Alizarin Red S staining in VSMCs infected with sh-Setd8 and sh-Mark4. (D) Western blot and quantitative densitometry analysis of Runx2. (E) Calcium content assessed calcification in VSMCs with sh-Setd8 and sh-Mark4. ^*Means p < 0.05, ^**p < 0.01, ^***p < 0.001 vs. sh-NC, ^*p < 0.05, ^**p < 0.01, ^***p < 0.001 vs. sh-Setd8. Error bar represents three independent experiments. (F) Schematic representation of the working model.