Induction of caspases by exogenous expression of NPRL2 and cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

(A) Induction of apoptosis in H1299 cells treated NPRL2 in the presence or absence of cisplatin (CDDP) by flow cytometry analysis with TUNEL staining. The PBS treated and empty vector (EV) treated cells were used as mock and negative controls, respectively. Error bars indicate SDs of the mean in three individual experiments (*, P<0.05; **, P<0.0005). (B), Activation of caspase cascades in H1299 cells by Western blot analysis. Several caspases in H1299 cells were examined by Western blotting 72 h after treatment with empty vector (EV) (with or without cisplatin) or with NPRL2 (with or without cisplatin). In cells treated with NPRL2 and cisplatin, caspases-3, -2, -8, and -9 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) were cleaved. Also, caspase-2 was activated by treatment with only NPRL2.