Figure 1. ST6GAL1 is preferentially expressed and active in hPSCs.
(a) Heatmap representation of ST6GAL1 transcript expression, as well as other glycosyltransferases, measured by global gene expression analysis in hPSCs and non-pluripotent cell samples. The expression of ST6GAL1 in each cell sample, detected by two independent probes targeting different regions of the ST6GAL1 transcript is shown. Black asterisk: WA07 hESCs and their isogenic differentiated derivatives. Purple asterisk: HDF51 cells and hiPSCs generated from HDF51 cells. (b) Upper panel: Western blotting analysis of ST6GAL1 in cell samples showed that undifferentiated hPSCs had higher ST6GAL1 protein expression, compared to differentiated cells. Lane 1: HMi-506_Mel Diff16, 2: HDF68i-505_Mel Diff16, 3: HM (HEMl), 4: HDF68, 5: HDF51, 6: WA09, 7: HDF68i-50516, 8: HMi-50616, 9: TSRI001i-HDF8. Lower panel: SNA-mediated blotting showed that protein samples extracted from undifferentiated hPSCs had higher reactivity to SNA binding. Lane 1: HM, 2: HDF68i-505_Mel Diff, 3: HDF51, 4: HDF68, 5: WA09, 6: HMi-506, 7: TSRI001i-HDF, 8: HDF68i-505. (c) SNA-mediated blotting showed that protein samples extracted from derivatives of undirected differentiation (embryoid bodies, EBs) had less reactivity to SNA, compared to those from paired, undifferentiated hPSCs. Lane 1: WA09, 2: WA07, 3: TSRI001i-HDF, 4: HMi-506, 5: WA09_EBs, 6: WA07_EBs, 7: TSRI001i-HDF_EBs, 8: HMi-506_EBs. (d) Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that live human cells in the pluripotent state were more reactive to SNA at the cellular level.