Figure 2
CXCR7 overexpression enhanced EMT through the AKT signaling pathway. (A) Western blot analysis showing decreased expression of epithelial makers, increased expression of mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin, α-SMA and Vimentin) and EMT-related transcription factors (Slug and Twist) in CXCR7-overexpressed cells compared with mock cells. Full-length blots are presented in Supplementary Fig. S3. (B) AKT, ERK, JNK, and P38 expression levels were determined by Western blot analysis in cells with CXCR7 overexpression. Full-length blots are presented in Supplementary Fig. S3. (C) Western blot analysis showed that PI3K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin effectively decreased the expression of p-AKT induced by CXCR7 overexpression. Inhibition of PI3K activity significantly reversed EMT markers. Mock and CXCR7-overexpressed cells were treated with 10 μM of LY294002 or 1 μM of wortmannin for 24 h. Full-length blots are presented in Supplementary Fig. S3. (D,E) Transwell migration and invasion assay showing that LY294002 and wortmannin inhibited CXCR7-induced cell migration and invasion. ***P < 0.001.
