CD44v6+ Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Maintain Stemness Properties through Met/cJun/Nanog Signaling

Figure 1

CD44v6+ HCC cells possess stemness properties. (a) CD44v6 negative/positive SNU398 cells were subcutaneously injected into the BALB/c mice. Red arrow means CD44v6 positive group, black arrow means negative group. The tumor volume from each group were tested. For statistical analysis, , , -test. The representative images of IHC staining of CD44v6 and Ki67 in CD44v6 positive and negative group tumor tissues. Bars: 200 μm. (b) The liver and the lung of the SNU398 cell subcutaneously treated mice were dissected. Red circle indicates the site of metastatic tumor. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining showed the metastatic tumor in the liver. (c) Representative images of transwell migration and invasion in indicated cells. Scale bar, 200 μm. , -test. (d) The colony formation assay showed that the colony formation ability of CD44v6+ cells was stronger than CD44v6- cells. , -test. (e) CCK8 assay showed the cell proliferation in CD44v6+ cells was stronger than CD44v6- cells. , , -test. (f) The representative images of spheres and histogram analysis in indicated cells. Scale bar, 200 μm. , -test. (g) Cell viability assay was performed using CCK8 assay in SNU398 cells, which were treated with indicated concentrations of sorafenib for 24 hours. And the number of viable cells represented the susceptibility of the CD44v6+ cells to antisorafenib. , -test.

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