Immunofluorescence studies of P2X7 receptor and differentiation-stage specific proteins in undifferentiated and differentiated ESC.
P2X7R expression and co-localization with differentiation-stage specific proteins was determined by confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence assays as described in Materials and Methods. (A). Left panel: Co-localization between SSEA-1 (stage-specific embryonic antigen-1) and P2X7R immunofluorescence in undifferentiated ES cells. Co-localization of the protein is shown by Z-stack analysis. Right panel: Double-immunostaining for nestin (neural stem and precursor marker) and P2X7R expression in cells induced to differentiation for 8 days. (B). Left panel: Immunostaining for Oct-4 (pluripotency marker) in undifferentiated cells. Middle panel: Immunostaining for Oct-4 and SSEA-1 in undifferentiated cells. Right panel: Staining pattern for the neuron-specific marker β-tubulin in neural-differentiated cells. Cell nuclei were visualized by DAPI staining. Scale bar, 50 µm.