Fig. 4

Effects of PBK knockdown on HESCs proliferation and apoptosis. PBK mRNA (A) and protein (B) levels in HESCs transfected with negative control (si-NC) or different small interfering RNAs of PBK (si-1, si-2, si-3) for 24 h (n = 3). C Cell proliferation after PBK knockdown in HESCs determined by the CCK-8 assay (n = 10). D and E Analysis of the effects of PBK knockdown (KD) on cell cycle distribution by flow cytometer (n = 6). F, G and H Flow cytometry showing apoptosis in HESCs with PBK KD (n = 3). I, J and K Effect of PBK KD on CDK1 and CCNB1 expression was assessed by qPCR and western blot (n = 4). (K) Effect of PBK KD on Caspase-3 expression was assessed by western blot. The results were representative of three independent experiments. All quantified data are presented as mean ± SEM; **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.0001, ****P < 0.0001