Figure 6

Knockdown of SCF and blockage of c-kit in LNC induced loss of niche function for LSC. Single limbal epithelial progenitor cells (LEPC) were co-cultured with LNC, SCF(−)-LNC (SCF knock-down LNC), c-Kit inhibitor ISCK03 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) or BMMSC on 3D Matrigel in MESCM for ten days before subjected to morphological analysis by phase-contrast microscopy (A, upper panel, scale bar = 25 µm) and immunostaining of P63α and CK12 (A, lower panel, nuclear counterstained by Hoechst 33342, scale bar = 25 µm) and qRT-PCR for transcription expression of P63α and CK12 (B, n = 3, *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01,respectively).