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. 2011 Sep 21;6(9):e24194. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024194

Figure 5. KGF-induced KGFR activation is required for the induction of early differentiation.

Figure 5

HaCaT KGFR cells were treated with TG as above, serum starved for 12 h and stimulated the last 24 h at 37°C with 20 ng/ml KGF. Quantitative immunofluorescence analysis performed as described in figure 2D shows that KGF stimulation increases the percentage of K1 positive cells. This KGF-induced increase is higher in cells overexpressing KGFR compared to cells expressing endogenous receptor levels and is particularly evident in undifferentiated cells, while the TG-treated cells are almost all K1 positive independently on KGF addition. No significant increase in the percentage of K1 positive cells is induced by KGFR overexpression in KGF untreated cells as a consequence of serum deprivation. Results are expressed as mean values ± SE. Student's t test was performed and significance level has been defined as *: NS vs the corresponding surrounding cells that do not display KGFR overexpression, **p<0.01 and ***p<0.001 vs the corresponding unstimulated cells. Bar, 10 µm.