First, we wanted to determine whether the observed regional gradation of
expression of cell surface markers of pluripotency was reflected in patterns of pluripotency gene expression, and second, we wanted to compare these results, obtained from cells subjected to minimal manipulation, to those from cells that were separated by flow cytometry in subsequent experiments.
The
use of cell surface markers to isolate specific cell populations is one common method for separating cells; however, isolating live cells based on their RNA expression is a powerful new way enabling the study of small cell niches in nongenetically modified animal models and human tissue.
ES cells can be described based on a characteristic morphology, the
presence of cell surface markers such as SSEA - 1 and Pecam1, or the expression of the key transcription factors such as Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, and a number of ES cell - specific transcripts (ECATs)[4]--[6].
We first analyzed several human ES cell lines cultured under different conditions to determine whether the same
gradient of cell surface marker and gene expression we observed previously [14] was a general feature of human ES cultures.
Single cell Q - RTPCR for the genes indicated was carried out on cells separated by flow cytometry on the
basis of cell surface marker expression.
A. Fractionation of HES 3 or H9 cells by flow cytometry according to the levels of
expression of cell surface markers (GCTM - 2, pericellular matrix proteoglycan, and CD9).