Ectopic expression of CAV1 enhanced c-Met signaling to drive cellular motility and invasion and branching morphogenesis in response to HGF stimulation.

<p>Cells transfected with mock or CAV1 plasmid were treated with or without HGF and then tested in migration and invasion assays. The cells that migrated and invaded through membrane were stained, counted under a light microscope at 25× magnification. The results are representative of three independent experiments, done in quadruplicate. Fold change were calculated by data from non-induced conditions. Bars represent fold change in mean number ± S.E. of migrating and invading cells; <b>A.</b> HuH-7-mock, <b>B.</b> HuH-pCAV1 and invading cells; <b>C.</b> HuH-7-mock, <b>D.</b> HuH-7- pCAV1 Student's t-test was used in the comparison of the means of non-induced and HGF-induced conditions. <b>E.</b> Branching-morphogenesis assay performed by HuH-7-mock and HuH-7-pCAV1 cells in DMEM supplemented with or without HGF. <b>F.</b> Columns shows mean number ± S.E derived from three separate experiments done in quadruplicate. ANOVA was used in comparison of groups. (***<i>p</i><0,0001, **<i>p</i><0,001, *<i>p</i><0,05; Bar: 200 µm.).