Skip to main content
Figure 2 | Molecular Cancer

Figure 2

From: Ovarian cancer ascites increase Mcl-1 expression in tumor cells through ERK1/2-Elk-1 signaling to attenuate TRAIL-induced apoptosis

Figure 2

Mcl-1 inhibition abrogates the prosurvival activity of ascites. (A) The effect of ascites on CaOV3 cell survival was assessed by long term assays where cells were exposed to TRAIL (50 ng/ml) for 24 h in the absence (control) or presence of ascites (10%). After 14 days colonies were counted and expressed as percentage of colonies obtained in the absence of TRAIL. (B) The percentage of apoptosis was measured as percentage of hypodiploid cells assessed by flow cytometry analysis during exposure to TRAIL (50 ng/ml for CaOV3; 100 ng/ml for OVCAR3) for 24 h in the presence or absence of OVC508 ascites. (C) CaOV3 and OVCAR3 cells were treated with a similar concentration of TRAIL (50 ng/ml) and apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry 24 h later. (D) CaOV3 and (E) OVCAR3 cells were transfected with Mcl-1 or control siRNA in the presence or absence of OVC508 ascites. Mcl-1 knockdown was confirmed by immunoblot analysis 24 h after transfection and ERK1/2 was used as a loading control. Apoptosis was assessed 24 h following siRNA transfection in the presence or absence of TRAIL (50 ng/ml). Data shown are means ± SEM derived from three independent experiments. * indicates P < 0.01, ** P < 0.001, *** P < 0.0001.

Back to article page