CD133+ gallbladder carcinoma cells exhibit self-renewal ability and tumorigenicity

Figure 2 Differentiation of spheroid cells. Non-adherent spheres were collected and placed into DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. A: After 6 h, cells migrated from the spheres and became adherent and the sphere volume was significantly reduced (original magnification × 200); B: The spheroid-colony-forming ability of spheroid cells decreased under differentiating conditions. ^aP < 0.05 vs spheroid cells under stem-cell-selective conditions; C: The expression levels of Oct-4, Nanog and nestin were examined using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The stem cell markers were downregulated in the adherent cells. ^aP < 0.05 vs spheroid cells under stem-cell-selective conditions.