Fig. 7

AKT inhibition demonstrated stronger anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effect than ERK inhibition in shDsg2 and shDsc2 MDA-MB-231 cells. (A) Inhibition of AKT activity by the inhibitor MK2206 (2µM) reduced the proliferation more notably compared to the ERK inhibitor PD98059 (20µM) by MTT assays in MDA-MB-231 cells, particularly in shDsg2 and shDsc2 MDA-MB-231 cells. (B) Wound-healing assays indicated that AKT inhibition reversed Dsg2 or Dsc2 depletion-induced migration, while ERK inhibition had no this effect. The scale bar represents 100 μm. (C) Western blot analysis of p-AKT and p-ERK expression in response to MK2206 and PD98059 treatment in shDsg2 and shDsc2 MDA-MB-231 cells. Cells were pretreated with 2 µM MK2206, 20 µM PD98059, or combination of them for 4 h and then stimulated with 10 ng/ml EGF for 24 h. Cell lysates were collected and analyzed by western blot using the indicated antibodies. Data are presented as mean ± SD from three separate experiments. *indicates P < 0.05; ns, not significant