Fig. 3. LIF increases, whereas BMP4 decreases, neural precursor markers in GFAP⁺ cells. Neurosphere cells were plated and allowed to differentiate with or without cytokines for 7 days before immunocytochemical examination. (A,F) Few differentiated GFAP⁺ cells express the progenitor marker SOX1. (B-D,F) Treatment with LIF, noggin, and LIF plus noggin all increase the percentage of SOX1⁺GFAP⁺ precursors. (E,F) Conversely, BMP4 treatment decreases the percentage of SOX1⁺GFAP⁺ precursors. (G,L) Similarly, few differentiated GFAP⁺ cells express the neural stem cell marker LeX. (H,L) Treatment with noggin does not alter LeX expression on GFAP⁺ cells. (I,J,L) LIF treatment with or without noggin increases the number of LeX⁺GFAP⁺ cells. (K,L) By contrast, BMP4 treatment decreases the number of LeX⁺GFAP⁺ cells. Thus LIF and BMP have opposite effects on stem/progenitor cell markers in GFAP⁺ cells. ^*P<0.05, ^**P<0.005 ANOVA. Scale bars: 20 µm in A-F,H-K.