Plasmid construction
Construction of pCDNA3.1-c-SrcY530F recombination vector was described previously [33-35]. Mutant c-SrcY530F cDNA generated by RT-PCR from total mRNA of HLE-B3 cells with the primers:
sense 5'-GGCAAGCTTATGGGTAGCAACAAGAGCAAGCCCAAG-3';
antisense 5'-GCTCTAGACTAGAGGTTCTCCCCGGGCTGGAACTG-3',
(underlined sequences were the mutation site) was cloned into the expression vector pCDNA3.1 (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA), creating pCDNA3.1-c-SrcY530F recombination vector. ShRNA expression vectors were generated by annealing single-stranded oligonucleotides and inserting them into the BamHI and HindIII enzyme sites of pSilencer4.1-CMVneo vector (Ambion, Austin, TX, USA). The target sequences were as follows: ShSrc (c-Src, NM_005417, 1682-1700 bp): 5'-TCGGCTCATTGAAGACAAT-3' (provided by Genepharma Inc, Shanghai, China) and a scrambled sequence was used as a negative control (ShNC): 5'-TTCTCCGAACGTGTCACGT-3' (Ambion, Austin, TX, USA). The recombinant ShRNA vectors were named as pSlience4.1-ShSrc and pSlience4.1-ShNC.
Cell culture
HLE-B3 cells were grown adherently in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM, with 5.5 mM glucose) with 10% fetal bovine serum and 2mM L-glutamine, and incubated at 37℃ with 5% CO2. All cells used in the experiments were taken in logarithmic phase.
Groups and treatment
Groups of stimulation with inflammatory factors: in the treatment groups, HLE-B3 cells were treated with IL-1α, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β at 10 ng/mL, respectively, for 30 mins. In the control group, HLE-B3 cells were cultured in DMEM (Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium) with 0.5% fetal bovine serum for 30 mins.
Groups of stimulation with high glucose: in the control group (5.5 mM), HLE-B3 cells were cultured in DMEM with 5.5 mM glucose in the medium, in the osmotic control group (mannitol) the cultured cells were treated with 30 mM mannitol, while in high glucose group (35.5 mM), the cells were treated with 30 mM glucose for 30 mins, respectively.
Groups of c-Src kinase activation: in c-Src activation group (pCDNA3.1-c-SrcY530F), HLE-B3 cells were transfected with pCDNA3.1-c-SrcY530F recombination vector. In blank control group (pCDNA3.1), cells were transfected with blank vector, pCDNA3.1 vector, and in negative control group (control), cells were transfected with transfection reagent Lipofectamine 2000.
Groups of c-Src kinase inhibition: in c-Src silence group (ShSrc), HLE-B3 cells were transfected with pSlience4.1-ShSrc vector. In blank control group (ShNC), the cells were transfected with pSlience4.1-ShNC vector, and in negative control group (control), cells were transfected with transfection reagent Lipofectamine 2000.
Transfection
HLE-B3 cells (2×105 cells per well) were seeded in 6-well plates and grown overnight to 80% confluence prior to transfection. All transfections for plasmids were performed with Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, plasmid DNA-lipid complexes (4μg plasmids in 8μl Lipofectamine 2000 per well) were prepared, and then incubated for 20 minutes at room temperature. The DNA-lipid complexes were added to HLE-B3 cells in 6-well plates and were cultured for 4-6 hours. Lastly, DNA-lipid complexes were discarded and 2 ml complete medium were added. 400μg G418 (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) was applied to select neomycin-resistant cells.
Quantitative real-time RT-PCR
Total RNA was extracted from cells using Trizol reagent (Takara, Dalian, China), and 1 μg total RNA was used as the template for cDNA synthesis in a reverse transcription kit (Takara, Dalian, China). RT-PCR was performed in the SYBR Green kit (Takara, Dalian, China) using specific primers for c-Src, E-cadherin, ZO-1, vimentin and αSMA (Table 1). The relative expression levels of genes were normalized to the endogenous housekeeping gene GAPDH.
Western blot
Cells were harvested and lysis in RIRA cell lysate (20 mM Tris-HCl, 1% NP-40, 0.5 mM PMSF), and extracted for total proteins. The proteins were quantified by BCA assay kit (Beyotime Biotechnology, Beijing, China) and added with 5×loading buffer (250mM Tris-HCl (pH6.8), 10% SDS, 0.5% BPB, 50% Glycerine, 5% 2-Mercaptoethanol). 35μg total proteins from each sample were uploaded and separated in 12% SDS-PAGE at 120V voltage, then transferred onto PVDF membranes at 40 mA for 2.5 hours at room temperature. According to the standard protein marker, the PVDF membrane was cut according to the molecular weight of the target protein. After blocking by 5% defatted milk powder for 2 hours at room temperature, PVDF membrane bands were incubated with primary antibodies overnight at 4°C, such as, c-Src (1:1000), p-Src418 (1:500), E-Cadherin (1:200), ZO-1(1:1000), Vimentin (1:1000), α-SMA (1:1000), and GAPDH (1:2000), respectively. After washed with TBST for three times (each for 15 mins) next day, PVDF membrane bands were incubated with secondary antibodies (1:4000) for 4 hours at 4 °C, respectively. After washed with TBST, proteins in PVDF membrane bands were detected with Western blotting luminol reagent (Santa Cruz, USA). GAPDH expression was used as the internal standard. The protein bands were observed and captured under scanner (HP Deskjet F2288, China). The images were analyzed by Quantity One software.
Cell proliferation assay
Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT (Sigma, USA) assay at indicated time points [36]. HLE-B3 cells (2×105 cells/well) were seeded in 6-well plates. The next day, cells were transfected with pCDNA3.1-c-SrcY530F, pSlience4.1-ShSrc and control vectors. After transfection for 24 hours, cells in activation of c-Src kinase group, inhibition of c-Src kinase group and control group were trypsinized and seeded in 96-well plate (6×103 cells/well). At different time points (after sticked for 0, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours), the medium was replaced with 100 μl MTT (5 mg/ml), and the plate was incubated at 37 °C for another 4 hours. After incubation, the culture medium was removed gently, and 100 μl DMSO was added. Finally, the absorbance was determined on a microreader (Bio-Rad) at 570 nm. All experiments were performed 3 times independently. The cell proliferation diagram was plotted using the absorbance at each time point.
Scratch assay
HLE-B3 cells (2×105 cells/well) were seeded in 6-well plates. On the second day, cells were transfected with pCDNA3.1-c-SrcY530F, pSlience4.1-ShSrc and control vectors. After 24 hours, cells in each well were scratched with 200μl pipette tip. Once scratch was made, the plates were gently washed with PBS for 3 times, and then added 2 ml serum-free medium. Cell mobility was examined after 24 hours and 48 hours, respectively. The images just after scratching 0 hour (T0), 24 hours (T24) and 48 hours(T48) were taken with a digital camera (Olympus DP71, Japan) connected to an inverted microscope (Olympus IX71, Japan). Ten fields of each plate were picked randomly and marked. Measurements of the width of gap were repeated 3 times at the same field. Gap closure (%) = [Gap in width (T0- T24/48)/Gap in width T0] × 100%.
Transwell assay
Cell migration was determined using transwell assay (Corning incorporated, NY, USA). HLE-B3 cells (2×105 cells/well) were seeded in 6-well plates. On the following day, cells were transfected with pCDNA3.1-c-SrcY530F, pSlience4.1-ShSrc vector and control vectors. After transfection for 24 hours, cells in each group were trypsinized and seeded in matrigel coated filters (2x104 cells/per well) and cultured with 100 μl serum-free medium. 600 μl completed medium was added into the lower compartment of chamber. After incubation for 24 hours and 48 hours, cells on the upper surface of the filter were wiped off with a swab, while cells invaded through the filter were fixed with 95% ethanol, stained with crystal violet and counted under the microscope. Relative migration was based on the average number of cells on the underside of the membrane in ten random images generated at 4 × magnification under the microscope.
Data analysis and statistics
Each experiment was repeated 3 times independently and all results were presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). All data were analyzed using SPSS 19.0 software. Multiple-group comparison was performed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by LSD test for between-group comparison. Values of P < 0.05 were considered as significant and indicated by asterisks in the figures.