Figure 6.

Overexpression of galectin‐3 in Caki‐1 cells promoted sphere‐forming capacity and in vivo tumorigenicity. Galectin‐3 (A) and stemness‐related gene (B) expressions in monolayer and spheres of empty vector (ev)‐infected and Gal‐3‐infected Caki‐1 cells were analysed using Western blot and RT‐qPCR. Migration and invasion (C), colony‐forming (D) and sphere formation (E) abilities were all examined. The reported results are representative of three independent experiments. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. (F) Empty vector (ev)‐ or Gal‐3‐infected Caki‐1 (3 × 10⁵/100 μL) sphere cells were subcutaneously implanted into the abdominal flanks of NOD/SCID nude mice (n = 4). We measured tumour size with a calliper and calculated it as length × width × height (in mm³) every week