Fig. 6.

rMK accelerates phenotypic transition of hypoxic epithelial cells to cells with mesenchymal morphology. A549 cells were plated and serum-starved according to the above-mentioned method. rMK (100 ng/ml) was added to cells and then cultures were exposed to either normoxia or hypoxia (1% O₂) for up to 72 h. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1; 2 ng/ml) was used as a positive control for the epithelial mesenchymal transition process. Representative bright-field photomicrographs from 3 independent experiments are presented. Scale bar = 10 μm.