Fig. 3

Suppressing TAGLN2 expression reduces cancer stem cell features. (A) Sphere formation assay. Cells with suppressed TAGLN2 (shTAGLN2-1, -2) show a reduced number and size of spheres compared to the control vector-transfected cells. (B) Colony forming assay to analyze the clonogenic capacity. The colonies in shTAGLN2-1- and shTAGLN2-2-transfected SNU1196 cells were increased compared to those in control vector-transfected cells (P < 0.001). (C) The expression of stemness-associated markers, including cMET, AKT, and Nanog, assessed using western blot analysis in SNU1196 and SNU308 cells with suppressed TAGLN2 expression achieved by either shRNA or siRNA. (D) SNU245, SNU308, and SNU1196 cells treated with recombinant TAGLN2 (rTAGLN2) protein at 0, 0.04, and 4 µg/mL for 30 or 60 min. An increase in cMET, AKT, and Nanog is observed in a dose- and time-dependent manner by rTAGLN2 treatment in both cell lines