Figure 4

Cells were cultured in 96-well plates coated with laminin (LN) or fibronectin (FN) respectively for 30 minutes and then cultured with acid phosphatase substrate at 37°C. The reaction was stopped two hours later. (A) The adhesion assays showed that lower-level integrin α6 reduced the adhesion of HCC cells with significantly statistical difference (P < 0.0001) in the cells incubated with LN, while the cells incubated with FN did not show any significant effect (P > 0.05). (B) Cells cultured in 96-well plates were coated with LN for 150 minutes. The spreading cells were numerated under a light microscope (×200). HepG2 cells with lower level of integrin α6 had a lower spreading rate. (C) The qRT-PCR assay showed that MMP-2 expression reduced significantly at mRNA level (P < 0.01). (D) The qRT-PCR assay showed that MMP-9 expression reduced significantly at RNA level (P < 0.01). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ****P < 0.0001 compared with control.