Fig. 1

Direct contact between platelet and MCF-7 triggers the EMT of cells. Platelets were activated by thrombin and the platelet fractions, including pellets and releasates, were respectively separated. a The number of invasive MCF-7 cells was increased by platelet and pellet without being affected by releasates or conditioned medium (CM) obtained from the co-incubation of pellets and MCF-7 cells. Invasion experiment using the DMEM buffer was used as control. b The level of P-selectin exposure of the platelets before and after thrombin stimulation was analyzed by flow cytometry. c The concentration of PF4 (the marker of α-granules) and TXB2 (the products of functional platelets) were detected by ELISA assay. d The relative mRNA levels of EMT markers and ECM-associated molecules were detected by qRT-PCR. Scale bar = 100 μm.*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01