Figure 5.

FACS analysis of hACL-SCs and hMCL-SCs. Both ligament stem cells were labeled with antibodies against human surface antigens as listed. The maximum positive count for CD31, CD34, CD45, and CD146 was less than 2%, and there was no significant difference between hACL-SCs and hMCL-SCs. However, large percentages (> 20%) of both ligament stem cells expressed CD44, CD90, and SSEA-4. The extent of expression of these stem cell markers by hACL-SCs and hMCL-SCs was significantly different (see Table 3). Note that hACL-SCs and hMCL-SCs (passages 1-2) used in the FACS analysis were obtained from four to six donors.