Apoptosis analysis was performed as previously described (16 (link)). For flow cytometry analysis, KYSE-450 or KYSE-150 cells (1×106/well) were plated in 6-well plate and treated with DpdtC (0, 10 or 20 µM) for 20 h at 37°C. The cells were then labeled with Annexin V (20 µg/ml) and propidium iodide (PI) (50 µg/ml) (Dojindo Molecular Technologies, Inc.) at room temperature for 15 min. Apoptotic rates were analyzed using a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (BD Biosciences) and calculated using FlowJo software v.7.6.1 (Treestar, Inc.). The rate of early apoptosis was calculated by Annexin V (+) and PI (−), while the rate of late apoptosis was calculated by Annexin V (+) and PI (+).