Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Cells: Evidence for Further Maturation In Vivo

Figure 6

Median relative gene expression levels of the undifferentiated cells at the end of in vivo differentiation and at 1, 2, 4, and 12 weeks after transplantation. At the end of in vitro differentiation, relevant pancreatic endocrine genes were expressed, although at approximately 1/1000 that in human islets. These levels increased by more than 10-fold 4 weeks after transplantation. Insulin, GCG, and GCK gene expression displayed a small but significant decrease at the 12th week. The peak maturation of IPCs occurred at the fourth week. Thereafter, gene expression varied depending on the blood glucose levels at the time of sampling.