An inhibitor of HIF-α subunit expression suppresses hypoxia-induced dedifferentiation of human NSCLC into cancer stem cell-like cells

Figure 4 Effect of hypoxia on the expression of stem cell-associated genes. The cells were cultured under normoxic (N) or hypoxic (H) conditions. A: Expression of stem cell-associated genes in A549 and QG56 cells; B and C: Normalized expression levels of the genes in A549 cells; Cells were cultured for 5 d; D and E: Normalized expression levels of the genes in QG56 cells; F: Time-course of the expression of CD133, OCT4, and MSI1 in A549; G: Time-course of the expression of CD133, OCT4, and MSI1 in QG56 cells (G). The expression level of each gene was normalized to that of β-Actin (ACTB); Data are shown as fold-change relative to normoxia (normoxia values set to equal 1). ^aP < 0.05 (n = 3); The cells were cultured for the indicated periods.