Transplanted bone marrow stromal cells are not cellular origin of hepatocellular carcinomas in a mouse model of carcinogenesis

Figure 1 Immunofluorescence of α-fetoprotein and albumin in bone marrow stromal cells, with or without treatment of HGF in culture (× 400). A: α-fetoprotein expression was negative in the absence of HGF; B: Albumin expression was negative in the absence of HGF; C: α-fetoprotein expression localized at the cytoplasm in hepatocyte-like BMSCs; D: Albumin expression localized at the cytoplasm in hepatocyte-like BMSCs.

Figure 2 Histopathological analysis of the tumors in the liver serial sections of recipient mice after 6 mo of DEN treatment (× 400). A: HCC nodules development at 6 mo stained with haematoxylineosin; B: HCC expressing GST-P appeared as red fluorescence by immunofluorescence; C: HCC expressing α-fetoprotein appeared as green fluorescence by immunofluorescence; D: HCC was negative for cytokeratin 19 by immunofluorescence.

Figure 3 Repopulation and carcinogenesis of male bone marrow-derived cells in female recipient liver tissues by FISH for Y chromosome (× 400). A: normal male liver, positive Y-chromosome signals appeared as green dots in the nuclei stained with DAPI, a chromosomal marker that appears as blue fluorescence; B: Six months after BMSCs transplantation and DEN treatment, some of hepatocyte nuclei were positive for the Y chromosome in the liver of female recipients; C: Six months after BMSCs transplantation without DEN treatment, none of hepatocyte nuclei was positive for Y chromosome in the liver of female recipients; D: HCC was negative for Y chromosome in nucleus.