Figure 2.

AsSn transfection alters the EMT phenotype in vitro. (A) MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435S cells were stably transfected with the AsSn. Mock-transfected cells served as controls. AsSn cells exhibited a clear decrease of Snail and RhoA expression; fibronectin and MMP-2 expression decreased by ∼30% compared with mock-transfected cells; and E-cadherin expression was induced. (B) Slug mRNA expression detection in AsSn- and mock-transfected cells by real-time PCR. No significant changes in the level of endogenous Slug mRNA were detected in AsSn- and mock-transfected clones. (C) Morphology of AsSn- and mock-transfected cells analyzed by phase-contrast microscopy. Mock-transfected cells remained spindle shaped, while AsSn cells exhibited a cobblestone-like morphology (original magnification, ×400). AsSn, antisense-Snail cDNA construct; EMT, epithelial-mesenchymal transition.