Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that acidic fibroblast growth factor can be strongly expressed in the yolk sac hematopoietic cells and fetal liver hematopoietic cells and in the differentiation process of embryonic stem cells to hematopoietic stem cells.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of acidic fibroblast growth factor on hematopoietic differentiation of mice embryonic stem cells, to test and verify the regulation effect of acidic fibroblast growth factor in the formation of hematopoietic cells through adding the acidic fibroblast growth factor into the embryoid body culture stages. 
METHODS: The mouse embryonic stem cells were cultured and then digested into single cells using trypsin when they were in good conditions on the feeder layer. The embryoid bodies were prepared with hanging drop method and then continue suspension cultured for 3, 5, 7 and 9 days with 1, 2 and 5 μg/L acidic fibroblast growth factor. The expression of acidic fibroblast growth factor in embryonic stem cell and embryoid bodies was detected with immunofluorescence, and the Flk-1⁺ and CD133⁺ positive rates were detected with flow cytometry.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Acidic fibroblast growth factor showed positive expression in embryoid bodies. In the effect of 5 μg/L acidic fibroblast growth factor, Flk-1⁺ cells expression was increased with time increasing, the CD133⁺ cells expression patterns were similar to Flk-1⁺ cells. In the effect of 1 μg/L acidic fibroblast growth factor, Flk-1⁺ cells expression peaked at 7 days and then decreased, and the CD133⁺ cells showed similar expression patterns. But in the effect of 2 μg/L acidic fibroblast growth factor, Flk-1⁺ cells expression was increased at 5 days, then decreased, and increased again at 9 days; while CD133⁺ cells expression emerged a rising trend totality. Acidic fibroblast growth factor can promote the generation of Flk-1⁺ and CD133⁺ cells, suggesting that acidic fibroblast growth factor can effectively promote the amplification of embryonic body and the production and proliferation of hemangioblasts.

Key words: stem cells, tumor stem cells, mouse embryonic stem cells, embryoid body, acidic fibroblast growth factor, Flk-1, CD133, National Natural Science Foundation of China, stem cell photographs-containing paper