Involvement of endoplasmic reticulum and autophagy in microcystin-LR toxicity in Vero-E6 and HepG2 cell lines

► Vero-E6 (kidney) and HepG2 (hepatoma) cell lines were exposed to a wide range of microcystin-LR concentrations. ► In both cell lines, lysosomal destabilization precedes mitochondrial impairment. ► In both cell lines, autophagy is triggered at non-cytotoxic MCLR concentrations as a survival mechanism. ► The endoplasmic reticulum is involved in MCLR toxicity in HepG2 cells but not in Vero-E6 cells.