Research Paper Volume 13, Issue 4 pp 4999—5019
HOXB9 enhances the ability of lung cancer cells to penetrate the blood-brain barrier
Figure 5. HOXB9 knockdown inhibits EMT and weakens the ability of BrM3 cells to penetrate the BBB. (A) Western blotting analysis and gray level analysis of EMT-related proteins (E-cadherin and vimentin) in BrM3 cells after HOXB9 silencing. (B, C) Relative mRNA expression of EMT-related transcription factors (snail, twist, and ZEB1) in BrM3 cells after HOXB9 silencing. (D) Western blotting analysis and gray level analysis of snail, twist and ZEB1 in BrM3 cells after HOXB9 silencing. (E) Schematic representation of the in vitro human BBB model. (F) Transmigration of NSCLC cells across the in vitro BBB model. Both parental cells and BrM3-siHOXB9 cells showed limited transmigratory ability. (G, H) Quantitative analysis of data obtained from the experiments shown in (F). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.