Figure 3

Reg3α overexpression protected primary cultured islets from cytokine-induced damage. (A) Cytokine-induced islet cell apoptosis was determined by TUNEL staining. TUNEL-positive cells showed red fluorescence in nuclei, and all nuclei in each islet were marked with DAPI (blue). The transduction efficiency also was observed by green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene under the fluorescence microscope. Scale bar, 100 µm (refers to all panel-A subpanels). (B) The apoptotic ratio of islet cells was calculated as the number of TUNEL-positive nuclei adjusted for islet area. At least 10 islets were analyzed in each group. (C) Insulin secretion under stimulation of glucose (5 mmol/L and 25 mmol/L, respectively) was measured in each group. Values represent the means ± SEM, n = 3. *P < 0.05 denoted significance; n.s. was not significant.