Fig. 2

Identification of MSC in clinical samples and variation in TGF-β2/PI3K-AKT. Anti-CD90 positive MACS purified MSC from tumor tissue, and the cells obtained after adherent culture had a typical spindle and stellate morphology (A) with the characteristic tri-lineage differentiation ability of MSC. The cells had the ability to differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes, respectively (B). The cells were identified using MSC-related markers, they expressed CD73, CD90, CD105, and CD166 but not CD34, CD45, or HLA-DR (C). The FACS method was used to isolate and measure the proportion of MSC in 12 pairs of paired samples. The proportion of MSC was significantly higher in the drug-resistant group compared to the drug-sensitive group (D). The proportion of MSC measured by the FACS method and the immunofluorescence method in 12 pairs of paired samples showed consistent trends (F, G). The transcription of TGF-β2 was significantly higher in the drug-resistant group (H). Also, the phosphorylation level of related proteins in the PI3K-AKT pathway was significantly increased in the drug-resistant group (I, J). Data are means ± SEM *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01