Fig. 7

Effects of cholesterol and caveolin-1 (CAV-1) levels on expression of integrins α1, α4, and β1. Five MSC experimental groups were analyzed by FACS for integrin α1, α4, and β1 expression: untreated MSCs, cholesterol-depleted MSCs (MβCD), cholesterol-enriched MSCs (Chol), MSCs transfected with control, nonspecific siRNA (si Ctrl), and MSCs transfected with CAV-1 siRNA (si CAV-1). a Histograms representing percent cell expression of integrins on cells; mean fluorescence intensity is indicated. b–d Relative quantitative expression of integrins α1, α4, and β1 on the five MSC groups. Results are presented as mean ± SD; n = 3 independent experiments per cell line. These results suggest that, as cell membrane cholesterol content changes, the integrin expression profiles change accordingly. Higher cholesterol concentration on cell membranes resulted in higher levels of integrin expression in MSCs. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.001, versus untreated group; ^#p < 0.05, versus si Ctrl group