Knockdown of β-catenin reduces colony formation and proliferation of AE-expressing cells. (A) Western blot analysis of β-catenin knockdown efficiency. BM cells isolated from WT and floxed-Ctnnb1 mice were transduced with AE-GFP retrovirus (WT/AE and Ctnnb1^loxp/loxp/AE, respectively). Subsequently, cre was introduced by adenovirus infection (AdCre) to disrupt the Ctnnb1 gene. Protein band intensity was quantified, normalized with β-actin and fold change, as compared with the parental cells indicated at the bottom of each lane. (B) Comparison of colony-forming units of AdCre-infected and noninfected AE⁺ BM cells after 7 days of culture in methylcellulose-based medium. (C) Western blot of β-catenin in SKNO-1 cells and SKNO-1 cells harboring either 2 different Ctnnb1 shRNAs (CTNNB1-1 and CTNNB1-2) or nontargeting control shRNA (NT-control). Fold change is determined as previously described and is indicated at the bottom of each lane. (D) Proliferation of SKNO-1 cells and SKNO-1 cells harboring Ctnnb1 shRNA (CTNNB1-1 and CTNNB1-2) or NT-control shRNA. (E) Comparison of colony forming units after 14 days of culture in methylcellulose-based medium. Data represent mean ± SD; Student t test. **P < .01; ***P < .001.