CD133 expression is not restricted to stem cells, and both CD133⁺ and CD133^– metastatic colon cancer cells initiate tumors
J. Clin. Invest. Sergey V. Shmelkov, et al. 118:2111 doi:10.1172/JCI34401 [Go to this article.]

Figure 1
Design and validation of CD133^lacZ/+ mouse model for tracking CD133⁺ cells. (A) Structure of murine CD133 promoter region, genomic structure of murine CD133 gene, and the lacZ knockin strategy. AUG, start codon; Ex1A, exon 1A. (B) X-gal staining of the adult mouse kidney shows high β-galactosidase activity in the proximal tubule (PT), but not distal tubule (DT). Staining with anti-CD133 antibody localizes CD133 protein specifically to the brush border of PT. Coimmunofluorescence of anti-CD133 with anti-CD31 antibodies shows CD133 expression on the parietal layer of Bowman’s capsule, but not the glomeruli (GL). Scale bar: 50 μm.