Fig. 3

BMP3 inhibits tumor formation. a Effects of BMP3 stable expression and knockdown on tumor formation were evaluated in nude mice. Xenografts were collected 30 days after injection of HCT116 and KM12 cells into the armpit and photographed. b Each tumor was collected and its weight was assessed at the last time point. Error bars indicate SD of the mean values of each group. c The rate of tumor growth was measured after subcutaneous injection of HCT116 cells stably expressing BMP3 or KM12 cells with knockdown of BMP3. Data are presented as mean (tumor volume) ± SD, with n = 10 (Mock), n = 8 (BMP3), n = 6 (shCon), and n = 8 (shBMP3). T test analysis was performed to show the significant difference between the two growth curves of each group. d The expression of BMP3 and cell proliferation marker Ki67 was examined in xenograft tumors by immunohistochemistry. H&E staining shows the morphology of tumor cells in each group. Scale bar is 200 μm. BMP3 and Ki67 positive cells were quantified in different tumors, and data are shown as bar graphs and presented as the mean ± SD. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01