Figure 3

CD133+ STA-ET-8.2 cells show enhanced growth characteristics. (A): Direct cell counting of CD133+ and CD133- from A4573, 5838 and TC71 cultures shows no difference in growth rate between CD133+ and CD133- populations. (B): In contrast to the cell lines shown in (A), CD133+ STA-ET-8.2 cells grow faster than their CD133- counterparts. Data presented are mean ± s.d. of three independent experiments. (C): Differential expression of CD133 is confirmed in FACS-sorted STA-ET-8.2 cells (left panel). CD133+ and CD133- cells show different growth patterns with CD133+ cells demonstrating preferential growth in aggregate cell clusters, whereas CD133- cells grow as cellular monolayers (right panel).