Fig. 6

CERK positive regulatory effects are mediated by Ras/Mek, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and Rho signaling in TNBC cells. a CERK depletion significantly increases the C16:0 level in TNBC cells. b CERK depletion significantly decreases the activity of Ras and RhoA, but not that of Rac1, in TNBC cells. c Representative western blot images showing the levels of phosphorylated molecules involved in Ras/Mek, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and Rho signaling pathways after CERK depletion. d Representative western blot images showing the levels of phosphorylated molecules involved in Ras/Mek and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways in cells after CERK overexpression. e LY294002 (5 µM), 10-DEBC (1 µM), Rapamycin (5 µM), and PP242 (1 µM) significantly reverse the increased migration in CERK-overexpressing cells. Western blot analysis, ceramide measurement, and small GTPase activity analysis were performed after 24-hour incubation; *P < 0.05, compared with the Neg siRNA or Vehicle