3BDO

Kinase experiment:

Total protein is obtained from HUVECs by using of IP lysis buffer after treatment with rapamycin (10 μM), 3BDO (60 μM) or both for 6 h. After centrifuging at 4°C, the supernatant is collected and incubated with protein A/G agarose beads and TIA1 antibody or normal mouse IgG as a control at 4°C overnight. The beads are washed 3 times with IP lysis buffer and then eluted with 4×SDS loading buffer. Ser phosphorylation is detected by western blot assay with Ser phosphorylation antibody[1].

Cell experiment:

HUVECs are isolated from umbilical cords and cultured in M199 medium with 20% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and 10 IU/mL fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) in a humidified incubator at 37°C with 5% CO2. Cells up to passage 10 are used for experiments. When HUVECs are grown to 80% confluency, HUVECs are treated with DMSO or 60 µM 3BDO for 24 h, then total RNA is extracted[1].

Animal experiment:

Male apoE-/- mice (8 weeks old) are used in this study. ApoE-/- mice are fed an atherogenic diet (containing 21% fat and 0.15% cholesterol). To avoid the potential confounding effects of variation among batches of diet, a single batch is reserved and used throughout the experiment. Mice at 20 weeks older are divided into 3 groups for treatment (n=8 mice/group) for 8 weeks: control (DMSO), low-dose 3BDO (50 mg/kg/d; 3BDO-L) and high-dose 3BDO (100 mg/kg/d; 3BDO-H). The body weight of mice is measured every week during 3BDO injection. Blood samples are taken from the inferior vena cava, and animals are killed by exsanguination[2].

References:

[1]. Ge D, et al. Identification of a novel MTOR activator and discovery of a competing endogenous RNA regulating autophagy in vascular endothelial cells. Autophagy. 2014 Jun;10(6):957-71.
[2]. Peng N, et al. An activator of mTOR inhibits oxLDL-induced autophagy and apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells and restricts atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E / mice. Sci Rep. 2014 Jul 1;4:5519.