Inactivation of Icmt inhibits transformation by oncogenic K-Ras and B-Raf
J. Clin. Invest. Martin O. Bergo, et al. 113:539 doi:10.1172/JCI18829 [Go to this article.]

Figure 3
Reduced capacity of K-Ras–transfected Icmt-deficient fibroblasts to form colonies in soft agar. (a) K-Ras-Icmt^flx/flx and derivative K-Ras-Icmt^Δ/Δ fibroblasts (2,000 cells of each) were mixed with 0.35% agarose and poured onto plates containing a 0.70% agarose base. Colonies were stained and photographed 21 days later. Nontransfected cells (i.e., no activated K-Ras) did not form colonies in soft agar. (b) Bar graph illustrating the number of colonies formed in soft agar in four independent experiments; data in each experiment were normalized to the number of colonies that formed with the parental K-Ras-Icmt^flx/flx fibroblasts. Inactivation of Icmt significantly reduced the number of colonies that formed in soft agar (*P < 0.0001). For experiments involving K-Ras-Icmt^flx/flx:ICMT cells (expressing a human ICMT cDNA) and the derivative K-Ras-Icmt^Δ/Δ:ICMT cells, data show the results from three independent experiments. In the cells expressing human ICMT, inactivation of mouse Icmt did not affect colony formation (P = 0.63). (c) Western blot showing higher K-Ras expression levels in K–Ras-transfected cells (+) compared with nontransfected cells (–). The blot was stripped and incubated with an anti-Erk1/2 antibody as a loading control. IB, immunoblot.