Endothelial cells differentiation of human glioma stem/progenitor cells

Objective With the development of glioblastoma therapy,the view on inhibiting angiogenesis had reached a general consensus,but the efficacy is not satisfactory.It is important to study the relationships between glioma stem cells (GSCs) and endothelial cells,which might provide a new therapeutic target to improve the prognosis of glioblastoma.Methods We isolated the GSCs from 38 specimens and cultured them as spheres in serum-free medium.After incubating in vitro for 4 h under hypoxia,we observed the expression of the endothelial cell markers CD31 and CD144 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) by immunofluorescence staining,RT-PCR and Western-blotting.In the xenografts of transplanted tumors established by GSCs spheres,we detected vessels with an anti-human endothelial cell antiboy.Results CD31 and CD144 were expressed in transdifferentiated cells in vitro,as determined with immunofluorescence staining and Western-blot analysis.Additionally,at the mRNA level we found that both the GSCs and the transdifferentiated cells expressed the endothelial cell markers.Some micro-vessels in vivo were CD31 positive in the immunofluorescence staining.Conclusions Our study demonstrates that GSCs have the ability to differentiate into endothelial cells. Key words: Glioma stem cells;  Endothelial cells;  Hypoxia inducible