Fig. 2. Identification of MMP12 through cellular expressional profiling as a pivotal protein linked to increased RON expression in bladder cancer cells.

A Significant alterations in mRNA expression were observed in 5637-shRON cells compared to 5637-NC cells, as determined by RNA-seq analysis. B Through KEGG and GO analysis, as well as combining annotations in the GENE database, 13 candidate genes closely associated with migration and invasion were identified among genes positively correlated with RON expression. C Validation of candidate genes positively correlated with RON expression in 5637-shRON, 5637-NC, J82-oeRON, and J82-NC groups was conducted using qRT-PCR. D The protein expression levels of MMP12 were assessed in 5637-shRON, 5637-shNC, J82-oeRON, and J82-oeNC cells by western blot. Experiments in C, D were repeated three times (n = 3).