Fig. 4

Identification of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) as a regulatory target of BATF2. a Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) identified a significant association between BATF2 and the MAPK signaling pathway. b-c Human phospho-kinase microarray assay analysis of the conditioned medium from stably transfected HGC-27 and SNU-216 cells. A summary of the relative signal intensities of the indicated proteins is shown. d The expression of critical members of the MAPK signaling pathway was examined by western blotting in stably transfected HGC-27 and SNU-216 cells. e Representative images of BATF2 and p-ERK IHC staining in xenograft samples. Scale bars = 200 μm. f IHC staining of BATF2 and p-ERK in TMAs were presented, and their correlation was calculated. Scale bars = 200 μm. g-i The effect of BATF2 downregulation on SNU-216 cell proliferation, migration and invasion was rescued by treatment with U0126 (10 μM) (**P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001). j The expression of downstream effectors of ERK signaling was examined by western blotting in stably transfected HGC-27 and SNU-216 cells. k The protein levels of cyclin D1, MMP2, and MMP9 in stably transfected SNU-216 cells treated with U0126 (10 μM) or DMSO (control) were determined by western blotting