Fig. 8

CD44 silencing reduced PC cell stemness and promoted apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. A and B CD44 maintains the stemness of PC cells. A Representative images of sphere formation induced by the transfection of CD44 siRNA into BxPC-3 and MIA PaCa2 cells. B The expression levels of PC cell stemness markers, including CD133, OCT4, NANOG, and SOX-2, were examined by western blot. C Flow cytometry was used to assess the apoptosis of PC cells in siCD44 and NC groups. D Statistical analysis of the effects of CD44 silencing on apoptosis. E The expression levels of apoptosis markers, including BAX, BCL-2, and caspase-3, were examined by western blot. Data are shown as the mean ± SD of three replicates. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01