FIGURE 2.

An elevated expression of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in lung tissues of benign, precancerous, and non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) individuals. (a) Representative image immunohistochemical staining of E‐cadherin, vimentin, and smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) in lung tissues of the benign (n = 30), precancerous lesion (n = 20), and NSCLC (n = 65) groups. (b) Protein expression of N‐cadherin (N‐Ca), E‐cadherin (E‐Ca), vimentin, and smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) was measured by Western blotting in the lung tissues of the precancerous lesion (n = 20), NSCLC (n = 65) and benign (n = 30) groups. (c) Densitometric analysis of Western‐blot bands in b. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. GAPDH, Glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase