Fig. 6. In vitro differentiation of the aorta derived cell line A4 into different cell types. (A) Smooth muscle cells (SMA positive, arrowheads). (B) Osteoblasts (ALP positive, arrowheads) are detected after treatment with 1 ng/ml BMP2; (C) Adipocytes are detected after treatment with 10 ng/ml of dexamethasone. (D) Skeletal myotubes are detected after co-culture of GFP-labeled A4 cells with C2C12 myoblasts. GFP-positive cells appear green, myocytes and myotubes expressing myosin heavy chains appear red, and cells expressing both appear yellow in the merged image (arrowhead). A mononucleated, differerentiated, GFP-positive myocyte is shown in the inset in D. (E) Cardiocytes are detected after co-culture of GFP-labeled A4 cell with rat neonatal cardiocytes. GFP-positive cells appear green, myocardiocytes expressing cardiac specific troponin 1 appear red and cells expressing both appear yellow in the merged image (arrowhead).
