Expression data from CXCR4+/FLK1+ and CXCR4-/FLK1- cells isolated by flow cytometry from Day 5 embryoid bodies

A dual biomarker signature extracted a stage-specific cytotype according to cell surface expression of CXCR4/FLK-1 after 5 days of spontaneous differentiation from pluripotent stem cells. Genome-wide microarray analysis revealed a high degree of similarity between CXCR4+/FLK-1+ and CXCR4-/FLK-1- subpopulations at day 5, yet the divergent gene expression profile represents more than 700 unique transcripts. Functional analysis of the 294 up-regulated and 440 down-regulated transcripts that distinguished CXCR4+/Flk-1+ from CXCR4-/Flk-1- subpopulations identified an overt ontologic prioritization of Cardiovascular Development-IPA 7.0, 2009.Thus, a biomarker-selected subpopulation from spontaneously differentiated pluripotent stem cells identifies a pool of genes that non-stochastically integrate into a blueprint providing instructions for cardiac lineage-specification.

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