Fig. 4

Integrin α5/β1-Raf1-eIF4E-Snail pathway contributes to higher stiffness-induced EMT in HCC cells. a Screening of differential phosphorylation levels of signal molecules in MHCC97H cells under different stiffness stimulation using cancer phosphorylation antibody arrays. L, low-stiffness substrate, 6 KPa; M, medium-stiffness substrate, 10 KPa; H, high-stiffness substrate, 16 KPa. The detailed expression patterns were listed in Additional file 8: Table S2–5. b Phosphorylation levels of Raf1 and eIF4E in HCC cells under different stiffness stimulations. c Inhibitor GW5074 suppressed the expressions of p-Raf1, p-eIF4E, and Snail in LV-shRNA-ITGβ1- or LV-shRNA-ITGα5-transfected MHCC97H cells grown on high stiffness substrate (16 KPa). d Inhibitor GW5074 suppressed the expressions of p-Raf1, p-eIF4E, and Snail in LV-shRNA-ITGβ1- or LV-shRNA-ITGα5-transfected Hep3B cells grown on high stiffness substrate (16 KPa). ITG, integrin