Fig. 6

TgCtwh6 tachyzoites indirectly induce HT22 apoptosis by polarizing BV2 into M1. BV2 cells were infected by TgCtwh6 tachyzoites for 24 h; then, RNA of the BV2 was extracted and reverse transcribed to cDNA. The gene expressions of IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS and TGF-β1 were assessed by qRT-PCR and then analyzed semiquantitatively (A–D). After BV2 cells had been infected with TgCtwh6 tachyzoites for 24 h, the BV2 cells were co-cultured with HT22 for another 24 h in a transwell device. Then, HT22 cells were collected from the lower layer and apoptosis status was assessed using FCM (E–G). Moreover, the HT22 cells were lysed and proteins were extracted. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins was detected by western blotting and then analyzed semiquantitatively (H–K). Data were represented as mean ± SEM and were analyzed by two-tailed Student’s t-test for comparing the difference between the two groups (n = 3 each group). *P < 0. 05, **P < 0.01