Figure 6

Targeting MCT1 inhibits tumor cell migration towards serum and glucose. (a–g) TC migration was studied in overnight transwell assays and quantified by counting migrated cells. (a) SiHa (left, n=5–6) and HeLa (right, n=9-14) cells infected with a control shRNA (shCTR) or 2 different specific shRNAs against MCT1 (shMCT1-1 and shMCT1-2) migrated towards serum. Migrated cell count is expressed as % of shCTR (*P<0.05, **P<0.01 compared to shCTR). (b) The migration of SiHa cells infected with shCTR or shMCT1-1 was assayed with the indicated glucose supplementation to upper and lower wells. Migrated cell count is expressed as % of basal migration (ns, not significant; ***P<0.005; n=9–11). (c) As in (b) but using HeLa cells transfected with shCTR, shMCT1-1 or shMCT1-2 (ns, not significant; **P<0.01; n=4-6). (d) SiHa cell migration was assayed with the indicated supplementations to upper and lower wells. Migrated cell count is expressed as % of basal migration (i.e., when glucose was present in both wells) (ns, not significant, **P<0.01, ***P<0.005 compared to basal migration; ^##P<0.01 compared to migration from the glucose-starved to the glucose-containing wells; n=6-13). (e) SiHa (left, n=6) and HeLa (right, n=4) cell migration was assayed with glucose or without glucose in the lower well and with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) in the upper well where indicated (ns, not significant, **P<0.01 compared to basal migration; ^#P<0.01, ^###P<0.005 compared to migration from the glucose-starved to the glucose-containing wells). (f) SiHa cells were sham transfected (control) or transfected with a plasmid encoding SLC16A1/MCT1 (MCT1+) or CD147 (CD147+). Cell migration was assayed in the presence of glucose in both wells, with and without NAC in the upper well where indicated (ns, not significant, *P<0.05, ***P<0.005 compared to migration of control cells without NAC in the upper wells; n=4-11). (g) as in (e) but with the MCT1 inhibitor α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (CHC) in the upper well instead of NAC where indicated (ns, not significant, *P<0.05, ***P<0.005 compared to basal migration; ^##P<0.01, ^###P<0.005 compared to migration from the glucose-starved to the glucose-containing wells; n=6 all).