Oct4, Bmi1, and ALDH1 are over-expressed during arsenite-induced acquisition of the stem cell-like phenotype.

<p>HBE cells were exposed to 0.0 or 1.0 µM arsenite for 5, 10, or 15 weeks. (<b>A</b>) The mRNA levels of <i>Oct4, Bmi1, ALDH1, Notch1,</i> and <i>Sox2</i> were determined by RT-PCR. Quantitative RT-PCR (means ± SD, n = 3) was used to measure the transcript level of <i>Oct4</i> (<b>B</b>), <i>Bmi1</i> (<b>C</b>), <i>ALDH1</i> (<b>D</b>), <i>Notch1</i> (<b>E</b>), and <i>Sox2</i> (<b>F</b>) after HBE cells were exposed to 0.0 or 1.0 µM arsenite for the indicated times. ^*<i>P</i><0.05 difference from control cells.