Figure 2

AGO2 promotes myeloma angiogenesis. (A) VEGF protein expression levels in the supernatants of AGO2-knockdown and overexpressing myeloma cell lines as determined in a LUMINEX cytokine assay (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01). (B) HUVEC proliferation and viability in response to culture with the supernatants from AGO2-knockdown and overexpressing myeloma cell lines were evaluated in an MTT assay. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean for 2 independent experiments. (C) A Transwell migration assay showed that HUVEC migration decreased in cultures treated with supernatants from AGO2-knockdown cell lines (upper line) and increased in cultures with supernatants from AGO2-overexpressing myeloma cell lines (lower line). (D,E) HUVEC tube formation assay. Significant decreases in the tube number (D) and tube length (E) were observed in co-cultures with supernatants from AGO2-knockdown cell lines compared with those co-cultured with supernatants from scrambled control lines. Significant increases in the tube number (D) and tube length (E) were also observed in co-cultures with supernatants from AGO2-overexpressing MM cell lines compared with those co-cultured with supernatants from empty vector control lines (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01).