Figure 3

Down-regulation of miR-300 is required for EMT initiation and maintenance. A. Ectopic expression of miR-300 produced obvious morphological changes in HN-12 and MDA-MB-231, from spindle-shaped cells to more cobblestone-like cells. B. Western Blot analysis revealed a significant increase of E-cadherin expression and reduced Vimentin expression in miR-300 overexpression cells. C. Significant decrease of in vitro invasive abilities of cells was observed in cells with ectopic expression of miR-300 in transwell assays. D. HN-4 and MCF-7 cells with down-regulated level of miR-300 acquired a fibroblastoid appearance. E. Western blot confirmed a strong reduction of E-cadherin expression and a concomitant induction of Vimentin in these cells. F. Downregulation of miR-300 led to increased cell invasion in transwell assays. * P < 0.05.