Research Article

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Promotes the Differentiation Potential of Xenopus tropicalis Immature Sertoli Cells

Figure 3

GSK-3 inhibitor (CHIR99021) stimulates EMT in XtiSC cell culture. XtiSCs were cultured in a growth medium supplemented with 25 ng/ml FGF2 or 3 μM CHIR99021 or 0.1% DMSO as a control. (a) After three-day treatment, the morphological change of XtiSCs from cobblestone shape to a long-rod shape in a medium with CHIR99021 was observed. Scale bar: 100 μm. (b, c) Immunofluorescent staining and RT-PCR analysis showed the downregulation of epithelial markers (cytokeratin, β-catenin at the plasma cell membrane) (b) and the increase of mesenchymal markers (fibronectin, integrin α5β1, Snai1, and twist1) (c, d). Arrows show the expression of β-catenin at the plasma cell membrane. Nuclei stained with DAPI. Scale bar: 20 μm. Results are representative of three biological replicates; , .
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