Fig. 1

Characterization, proliferation and differentiation of ASCs. a – Characterization of ASCs via FACS analysis. 100,000 cells were fixed, permeabilized and analyzed for the expressions of the marker proteins CD45, CD31, CD90, CD105, CD34 and DLK1. Histograms of passage 3 ASCs are shown. Black histograms: Unstained control. Red histograms: Cells with specific antibody staining. Histograms are representative of 3 independent flow cytometry analyses using ASCs from different donors. b and c – Microphotographs (b) and growth curves (c) of proliferating ASCs cultivated in PM4 medium containing 2.5% FCS or 10% FCS. Each data point represents the average cell number of 3 different wells. Values are presented as means +/− SEM. **p < 0.01. d – Adipogenic differentiation of ASCs. Adipogenesis was induced on day 0 (d 0) and the morphology of the cells was documented using bright-field microscopy on the indicated days. e – The formation of lipid droplets was monitored using Oil-Red-O staining on days 9 and 14 post-induction of adipogenesis. f – The perilipin protein level was monitored via western blot analysis in undifferentiated (d 0) and differentiated (d 9) ASCs. Representative results from three independent experiments performed in ASCs derived from three different donors are shown