@article{Matic_Antunovic_Brkic_Josipovic_Caput Mihalic_Karlak_Ivkovic_Marijanovic_2016, title={Expression of OCT-4 and SOX-2 in Bone Marrow-Derived Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells during Osteogenic Differentiation}, volume={4}, url={https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/article/view/oamjms.2016.008}, DOI={10.3889/oamjms.2016.008}, abstractNote={<p><strong>AIM: </strong>Determine the levels of expression of pluripotency genes OCT-4 and SOX-2 before and after osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).</p><p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Human MSCs were derived from the bone marrow and differentiated into osteoblasts. The analyses were performed on days 0 and 14 of the cell culture. <em>In vitro</em> differentiation was evaluated due to bone markers – alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of AP and bone sialoprotein (BSP). The OCT-4 and SOX-2 expression was evaluated at mRNA level by real-time qPCR and at protein level by immunocytochemistry.</p><p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>In vitro cultures on day 14 showed an increase in AP activity and upregulation of AP and BSP gene expression. OCT-4 and SOX-2 in undifferentiated hMSCs on day 0 is detectable and very low compared to tumor cell lines as a positive control. Immunocytochemistry detected OCT-4 in the cell nuclei prior (day 0) and post differentiation (day 14). On the same time points, cultures were negative for SOX-2 protein.<strong></strong></p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>Messenger RNA for pluripotency markers OCT-4 and SOX-2 isolated from hMSCs was less present, while OCT-4 protein was detected in cell nuclei prior and post differentiation into osteoblast lineage.}, number={1}, journal={Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences}, author={Matic, Igor and Antunovic, Maja and Brkic, Sime and Josipovic, Pavle and Caput Mihalic, Katarina and Karlak, Ivan and Ivkovic, Alan and Marijanovic, Inga}, year={2016}, month={Jan.}, pages={9–16} }