Table 1 Functions of the ER stress-induced genes considered in this study

ATF4

Indicator of PERK activation, transcription factor which contributes to the transcriptional activation of chaperones and foldases

[5]

BAK1

ER stress induced pro-apoptotic gene of the BCL-2 family proteins

[10]

BAX

ER stress induced pro-apoptotic gene of the BCL-2 family proteins

[26]

HSPA5 (encoding BiP)

Chaperon, master regulator of UPR

[5, 27]

CASP3, CASP8, CASP9 (encoding caspases 3, 8, 9)

ER stress induced members of a family of cysteine proteases which are critical mediators of apoptosis

[9, 13, 27, 28]

DDIT3 (encoding CHOP)

Non ER localised transcription factor, induced by ER stress through PERK and ATF6, mediates ER stress induced apoptosis

[29]

EDEM1

ER stress induced target of IRE, component of the ER-associated degradation system (ERAD)

[29, 30]

HERPUD1 (encoding HERP)

ER stress induced target of ATF6, a resident membrane protein involved in the ERAD complex

[31]

PDIA4

ER stress induced target of PERK, one of the most important ER resident protein folding enzymes with chaperone activity in preventing the aggregation of unfolded substrates

[25]

DNAJC3 (encoding P58^IPK)

ER stress induced target of IRE, a molecular chaperone

[32]

WARS

ER stress induced target of PERK, ATF4 target gene, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase involved in protein synthesis

[33]

XBP1

ER stress induced target of IRE, transcription factor which induces the transcriptional activation of chaperones

[5]