Figure 1.

CD133⁺CXCR4⁺ cancer cell content is higher in hepatic metastasis than in human primary colorectal tumors. (A) Specimens were digested, stained for CD133 and analyzed by flow cytometry to detect the CD133⁺ subpopulation in primary and metastatic colorectal cancer as well as their corresponding normal tissues. A representative image is provided in the left panel. Quantification of flow cytometry data is presented in the right panel. (B) To assess the CD133⁺CXCR4⁺ subpopulation in human specimens, primary and metastatic colorectal tumors were harvested, digested and double-stained for CD133 and CXCR4, then analyzed by flow cytometry. A representative image is provided in the left panel. Quantification of flow cytometry data is presented in the right panel (n = 9 analyzed patients).