Fig. 3: The mTOR pathway is involved in CCN6-induced cell migration, invasion, and increased MMP-9 expression

. Cells were pretreated for 30 min with rapamycin (10 μM), or transfected with siRNA directed against mTOR for 16 h, followed by stimulation with CCN6. a–d Cell migration and invasion were examined using the Transwell assay. e, f MMP-9 mRNA expression was examined by RT-qPCR. g mTOR protein levels were measured using Western blotting. h JJ012 cells were incubated with CCN6 for the indicated time intervals, and p-mTOR was examined by Western blotting. i JJ012 cells were pretreated with Ly294002, wortmannin, or an Akt inhibitor for 30 min, then stimulated with CCN6 for 15 min, and mTOR phosphorylation was examined. Quantitative results are expressed as the mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05 as compared with the control group; #p < 0.05 as compared with the CCN6-treated group