FIGURE 6.
siRNA knockdown of SMC2 impairs tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. A, schematic representation of the experimental design. DLD1 cells were transiently transfected with an siRNA targeting SMC2 or a scrambled sequence. After 48 h, a second round of transfection was performed. 24 h later, 1.5 × 106 cells were injected subcutaneously in the dorsal flanks of athymic nude mice. B, SMC2 knockdown was assessed by WB using whole cell extracts from in vitro culture until 120 h post-tranfection (sc, scrambled siRNA). C, representative resected tumors from the same animal at day 40 post-injection. Scale bar, 1 cm. D, tumor growth curves. Tumor volume was measured every 2–3 days for 36 days. The graph is representative of two independent experiments. Error bars represent S.E. (n = 11). Differences were evaluated with paired Student's t test (p = 0.0201); (*, p < 0.05, t test in each time point).