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 3
CD133 is widely expressed in murine colonic epithelial lining. (A–C) X-gal staining shows the distribution of β-galactosidase activity in the colon of CD133^lacZ/+ mice (A), and in sagittal (B) and transverse (C) sections of the Lieberkuhn’s crypt. (D–F) Corresponding immunostaining with anti-CD133 antibody confirms the X-gal staining and demonstrates that CD133 protein is localized to the apical surface of mouse colon epithelium (indicated with the arrows). (G) X-Gal staining of a wild-type mouse colon. (H) Magnification of rectangle in E showing the brush border localization of CD133 protein. The inset shows a negative control staining, where arrows point to brush borders on both sides of the lumen. Original magnification, ×200 (inset). (I) Coimmunofluorescence with anti-CD31 antibody (green) and anti-CD133 antibody (red) shows the apical localization of CD133 protein in mouse colon (indicated with arrows). Scale bar: 50 μm.