Fig. 2

Effects of EGFR inhibitors on cell growth and squamous cell differentiation in transformed-human esophageal epithelial cells. a Phase-contrast images of T-Epi and T-Mes cells treated with vehicle control, erlotinib, or cetuximab for 72 h. Treatment with erlotinib or cetuximab induced cell-cell contact in T-Epi cells but not T-Mes cells. Scale bar, 40 μm. b E-cadherin and vimentin protein levels in transformed-human esophageal epithelial cells, T-Epi and T-Mes, determined by western blotting. c Cell growth of T-Epi or T-Mes cells treated with or without erlotinib or cetuximab for 72 h, determined by cell count. Results are presented as means ± SD (bars). (* p < 0.05 vs. vehicle control; n.s., not significant, n = 3). d Cell cycles of T-Epi and T-Mes cells treated with or without erlotinib or cetuximab for 72 h, analyzed by EdU assay. The experiments were conducted in triplicate, and results are presented as means ± SD. Representative data are shown. (*p < 0.05 vs. vehicle control; ** p < 0.01 vs. vehicle control; n.s., not significant; n = 3). e Involucrin mRNA expression levels in T-Epi or T-Mes cells treated with or without erlotinib or cetuximab for 72 h, determined by QPCR. (**p < 0.01 vs. vehicle control; n.s., not significant; n = 3). f Involucrin protein levels in T-Epi or T-Mes cells treated with or without erlotinib or cetuximab, determined by western blotting