FIGURE 2.

Breast tumor tissues have increased OPN transcript levels but comparable Merlin transcript levels relative to normal breast tissues. A, the overall levels of Merlin are not significantly reduced (p = 0.82) in tumor tissues relative to normal breast tissues. B and C, there is no appreciable change in the levels of Merlin across the grade (p = 0.6) of the breast tumor tissues and the disease stage (p = 0.15). D, the transcript levels of OPN are significantly increased (^, p = 0.0028) in breast tumor tissues relative to normal breast tissues. E and F, the transcript levels of OPN are notably increased with the advance in the grade of the breast tumor (^, p = 0.04) and disease stage (^, p = 0.01). Error bars in all panels indicate S.D.