To investigate whether CtBP2 expression accelerated HCC cell mobility and invasiveness by inducing EMT, we examined the expression of EMT biomarkers in Huh7 cells using Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. The biochemical markers examined included E-cadherin (which is expressed predominantly in epithelial cells), and N-cadherin, Vimentin and Fibronectin (which are expressed predominantly in mesenchymal cells). The Western blotting indicated that elevated CtBP2 expression attenuated E-cadherin expression, but increased N-cadherin, Vimentin and Fibronectin expression in Huh7 cells (Figure 3D). We performed double immunofluorescence staining to confirm the Western blotting experiments and observed reduced E-cadherin and elevated N-cadherin expression in Huh7 CtBP2 cells compared to the control Huh7 Vector cells (Figure 3E).
