The effect of CDHR2 on HCC cell growth and proliferation. (A) The effect of CDHR2 over-expression on doubling time of HCC cell lines, SMMC-7721 and PLC/PRF/5 cells, respectively. (B) Edu incorporation assay was performed on LV-CDHR2-infected SMMC-7721 and PLC/PRF/5 cells to evaluate the proliferation rate of sparse and confluent cultures. (C) Cells were plated in 10-cm Petri dishes at densities varying from 1,000 to 5,000 cells per dish in fresh medium for colony formation. Colonies were stained with crystal violet after 14 days, and counted as indicated. (D) Cells were plated in semisolid soft agar medium to monitor anchorage-independent growth. The numbers represent the mean±SD of 3 independent experiments. Photographs are representative images from each group as indicated under the microscope. The experiments were repeated 3 times. *p<0.05 vs. control lentivirus group.