Background: Human embryonic stem cells (hESC), which are derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocysts, have been considered to be pluripotent cells. In this study we examine the differentiating potential of hESC into hepatocytes by characterization of the expression of endoderm and liver-specific genes. Methods: hESC were cultivated in suspension to form aggregates, the embryoid bodies. ...

background: in this study, we examined a new two step induction protocol for improving the differentiation of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neural progenitor cells. materials and methods: human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells were first cultured in dulbecco’s modified eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum in a humidified incub...

Nerve growth factor-like substance(s) were identified in both conditioned media of a human prostatic tumor epithelial cell line (TSU-pr1) and a human prostatic stromal cell line (HPS) by Western blot analysis and bioassay of neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. Nerve growth factor-beta (NGF) immunofluorescence was also localized to secretory vesicles in the cytoplasm of both the TSU-pr1 and HPS cel...

Acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors are mitogenic polypeptides that are overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. To determine whether fibroblast growth factors may exert direct effects on pancreatic cancer cells in vivo, we compared the expression of the high-affinity type I fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR-1) in human pancreatic tissues. In the normal pancreas, FGFR-1 immunostaining w...

BACKGROUND Chemotaxis is defined as directional cell movement of cells towards concentration gradients of solubilized attractants, whereas chemokinesis is defined as random cell movement in the absence of chemoattractant gradients. Since tumor cell motility plays an important role in the process of tumor invasion and metastasis, we investigated these two distinct motile behaviors in highly inva...

Recent studies suggest that fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), or FGF receptor-mediated signalling, function in specifying posterior identity in the developing neural tube, and possibly also in neural induction.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor (FGFR) consists extracellularly of three immunoglobulin (Ig) modules (Ig1-3). Currently, there are two competing models (symmetric and asymmetric) of the FGF-FGFR-heparin complex based on crystal structures. Indirect evidence exists in support of both models. However, it is not clear which model is physiologically relevant. Our aim was to obtain direct, n...

BACKGROUND Vascular smooth muscle cell growth factors are postulated to contribute to cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Few data quantitatively address the timing, location, or stimuli for growth factor expression and relationship to CAV. METHODS AND RESULTS Acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) mRNA expression was determined in serial endomyocardial biopsies during the first year after ...

Objective(s): Umbilical cord blood is a good source of the mesenchymal stem cells that can be banked, expanded and used in regenerative medicine.  The objective of this study was to test whether amniotic membrane extract, as a rich source of growth factors such as basic-fibroblast growth factor, can promote the proliferation potential of the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. Materials and ...