With 1 mol/l Fura-2/AM (Beyotime, China) for 35 min, and then detected with a spectrofluorometer (F-4500FL, Hitachi High-technologies, Japan). The basal emission was measured by stimulating the cells with 340/380 nm light and recording the emitted fluorescence intensity at 510 nm. Approximately 3.56106 cells per sample was monitored. The intensity of fluorescence was calculated automatically. The Rmax and Rmin values were determined by the addition of Triton X-Reverse Transcription-AZ-876 polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) to Detect GRP 78, Caspase-12 and CaM/CaMK IIThe hippocampal total mRNA from sixteen rats (4 rats per group) was extracted using the TRIzol kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The forward and reverse sequences of the primers (synthesized by Shenggong Biotech Co., Shanghai, China) were according to the serial numbers from GenBank and are listed in Table 1. Tissue samples were homogenized, and total RNA was extracted. PCR was performed as described previously. The cycling reaction for GRP 78 was as follows: 4 min polymerase activation at 95uC and amplification for 40 cycles of [95uC (30 s), 60uC (30 s), and 72uC (1 min)]. For CaM, the PCR profile used was 94uC for 4 min, and amplification for 32 cycles of [94uC (30 s), 58uC (30 s) and 72uC (40 s)]. For CaMKIIa, the reactionER- Pathway is Involved in PTSD-Induced ApoptosisFigure 6. Western blot of caspase-12 in the hippocampus of SPS rats. Caspase-12 protein expression in the endoplasmic recutilum (ER), cytoplasm (Cyto) and mitochondira (Mito) fractions of the hippocampal cells (A) and results from its quantitative analysis based on western blot results (B). An increase in caspase-12 protein expression in the ER was observed in SPS rats.*P,0.01 vs. the control group. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069340.gwas started at 95uC for 2 min, followed by amplification for 33 cycles of [95uC (30 s), 55uC (30 s) and 72uC (40 s) and a final 5min extension at 95uC. For Caspase 12, the PCR profile used was two cycles of 95uC, 65uC and 72uC; then two cycles of 95uC, 62.5uC and 72uC; b-actin mRNA used as an internal control. The products were observed following electrophoresis on a 1.2 agarose gel and the density of each band was analyzed on the Gel Image Analysis System. The levels of GRP78, CaM, CaMKIIa and Caspase-12 mRNA were determined by calculating the density ratios of GRP78mRNA/b -actin mRNA, CaM mRNA/b -actin mRNA, CaMKIIa mRNA/b-actin mRNA and Caspase-12 mRNA/b -actin mRNA. We repeated the experiment 3 times and had similar results.The following primers for RT- PCR were used (Table 1). All primers were designed using DNAstar Primer Select program (Lasergene, Madison, WI, USA) and synthesized by Shanghai Sangong (Shanghai, China).hoc test using SPSS 13.0 software. A level of P,0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Results Apoptotic Cells in the Hippocampus was Detected by TUNEL Title Loaded From File MethodThe TUNEL-positive cells were rarely found in the hippocampus of the control group (Fig. 1A). In contrast, the total number of TUNEL-positive cells was consistently increased in the SPS rats (Fig. 1B, 1C).TEM Analysis of the Morphological Changes in Cells in 23977191 the Hippocampus of the SPS RatsAs shown in Fig. 2, the hippocampal cells in the control rats exhibited normal morphology (Fig. 2A). Some cells in the hippocampus of SPS rats (Figs. 2B, 2C) exhibited changes characteristic of apoptosis, including chromatin condensation, appearance of chromatin crescents (shown with arrow), nucl.With 1 mol/l Fura-2/AM (Beyotime, China) for 35 min, and then detected with a spectrofluorometer (F-4500FL, Hitachi High-technologies, Japan). The basal emission was measured by stimulating the cells with 340/380 nm light and recording the emitted fluorescence intensity at 510 nm. Approximately 3.56106 cells per sample was monitored. The intensity of fluorescence was calculated automatically. The Rmax and Rmin values were determined by the addition of Triton X-Reverse Transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) to Detect GRP 78, Caspase-12 and CaM/CaMK IIThe hippocampal total mRNA from sixteen rats (4 rats per group) was extracted using the TRIzol kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The forward and reverse sequences of the primers (synthesized by Shenggong Biotech Co., Shanghai, China) were according to the serial numbers from GenBank and are listed in Table 1. Tissue samples were homogenized, and total RNA was extracted. PCR was performed as described previously. The cycling reaction for GRP 78 was as follows: 4 min polymerase activation at 95uC and amplification for 40 cycles of [95uC (30 s), 60uC (30 s), and 72uC (1 min)]. For CaM, the PCR profile used was 94uC for 4 min, and amplification for 32 cycles of [94uC (30 s), 58uC (30 s) and 72uC (40 s)]. For CaMKIIa, the reactionER- Pathway is Involved in PTSD-Induced ApoptosisFigure 6. Western blot of caspase-12 in the hippocampus of SPS rats. Caspase-12 protein expression in the endoplasmic recutilum (ER), cytoplasm (Cyto) and mitochondira (Mito) fractions of the hippocampal cells (A) and results from its quantitative analysis based on western blot results (B). An increase in caspase-12 protein expression in the ER was observed in SPS rats.*P,0.01 vs. the control group. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069340.gwas started at 95uC for 2 min, followed by amplification for 33 cycles of [95uC (30 s), 55uC (30 s) and 72uC (40 s) and a final 5min extension at 95uC. For Caspase 12, the PCR profile used was two cycles of 95uC, 65uC and 72uC; then two cycles of 95uC, 62.5uC and 72uC; b-actin mRNA used as an internal control. The products were observed following electrophoresis on a 1.2 agarose gel and the density of each band was analyzed on the Gel Image Analysis System. The levels of GRP78, CaM, CaMKIIa and Caspase-12 mRNA were determined by calculating the density ratios of GRP78mRNA/b -actin mRNA, CaM mRNA/b -actin mRNA, CaMKIIa mRNA/b-actin mRNA and Caspase-12 mRNA/b -actin mRNA. We repeated the experiment 3 times and had similar results.The following primers for RT- PCR were used (Table 1). All primers were designed using DNAstar Primer Select program (Lasergene, Madison, WI, USA) and synthesized by Shanghai Sangong (Shanghai, China).hoc test using SPSS 13.0 software. A level of P,0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Results Apoptotic Cells in the Hippocampus was Detected by TUNEL MethodThe TUNEL-positive cells were rarely found in the hippocampus of the control group (Fig. 1A). In contrast, the total number of TUNEL-positive cells was consistently increased in the SPS rats (Fig. 1B, 1C).TEM Analysis of the Morphological Changes in Cells in 23977191 the Hippocampus of the SPS RatsAs shown in Fig. 2, the hippocampal cells in the control rats exhibited normal morphology (Fig. 2A). Some cells in the hippocampus of SPS rats (Figs. 2B, 2C) exhibited changes characteristic of apoptosis, including chromatin condensation, appearance of chromatin crescents (shown with arrow), nucl.