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Figure 2 | BMC Cancer

Figure 2

From: Identification of a unique hepatocellular carcinoma line, Li-7, with CD13(+) cancer stem cells hierarchy and population change upon its differentiation during culture and effects of sorafenib

Figure 2

Slow-growing CD13(+)/CD166(−) cells could reconstruct the bulk Li-7 cell population. (a) Microscopic appearance of cell subpopulations at 72 hr after cell sorting from Li-7 cell culture: CD13(+)/CD166(−) and CD13(−)/CD166(−) cells grew slowly as round cell clusters, whereas CD13(−)/CD166(+) cells attach strongly to the dish and grew rapidly. (b) CD166(−) cell clusters elongated and spread as CD166(+) cells while increasing the number of cells in a cluster. (c) Expression of CD13 and CD166 in cell fractions sorted from Li-7 cultures and subcultured for different periods. CD13(+)/CD166(−) cells produced CD13(−)/CD166(−) and CD13(−)/CD166(+) cells and were able to reform the bulk Li-7 cell population (upper). CD13(−)/CD166(−) cells only produced CD13(−)/CD166(+) cells (middle). The CD13(−)/CD166(+) cells did not produce other fractions (lower). (d) Cell growth rates of each subpopulation using WST-8 showing that CD13(−)/CD166(+) cells grew rapidly compared to CD166(−) cells. (e) Immunocytochemical staining of bulk Li-7 cells revealed widespread expression of Ki-67 in CD166(+) cell colonies.

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