Expression data comparing CD133+ and CD133- B16-F10 melanoma cells

Cancer stem cells (CSC) were isolated based on the putative stem cell marker CD133. This subset of cells has been shown to have superior tumorigenicity and metastatic ability compared to cells in the non-CSC compartment (i.e. CD133-). We compared microRNA expression profiles of CSCs to non-CSCs to identify disparities in miRNA expression and explore how these miRNAs may provide a selective survival advantage to cancer stem cells. B16-F10 murine melanoma cells were labelled with a monocloncal antibody against CD133 (Prominin-1) and subjected to FACS to collect CD133-negative and -positive populations arising from the parental cell population. Total RNA was isolated and hybridized on Affymetrix GeneChips (miRNA 4.0 platform). Chips were scanned using a GeneChip Scanner (Affymetrix) and microarray images were analyzed using Affymetrix Power Tools. Transcriptome Analysis Software (TAC, Affymetrix) was used to analyze and visualize microarray data.