Fig. 6

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) induces sialyl-glycolipid stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA4) expression. a The expression of SSEA4 was evaluated upon EMT induction. Upon treatment, almost all cells changed their morphology from an epithelial to an elongated fibroblastic shape. F-actin was stained with phalloidin to visualize the cytoskeleton architecture. The epithelial markers E-cadherin and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) were downregulated, whereas the mesenchymal marker fibronectin was upregulated, upon stimulation. Scale bar = 10 μm (first three columns at left) and 200 μm (right column). b The fraction of SSEA4-positive cells was increased upon EMT induction as evaluated by flow cytometry. APC allophycocyanin, DAPI 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, TGFβ transforming growth factor β