Figure 5.

TG2 was required for CAF induced EMT of HCC cells. (A) TG2 was stably knocked down by specific small hairpin RNA (shRNA) in Hep3B cells. A non-target (NT) shRNA was used as a control. N-cadherin and E-cadherin were used as indicators of EMT initiation. (B) Wound healing, (C) transwell, and (D) invasive assays were performed using Hep3B- shNT and shTG2 cells. The error bars represent ± SEM; * P<0.05, *** P<0.01). (E) In the nude mouse metastatic tumor model, CAFs and Hep3B- shNT or shTG2 cells (1:1) (HCC + CAFs) were co-injected into the spleen of nude mice. After 21 days, the tumor of liver metastases was counted and then confirmed by H&E staining (F). Original magnification, 50×.