SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

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Immunocytochemistry

After fixation in 4% paraformaldehyde, immunostaining for BMPR-1A, -1B and -2 was carried out according to the manufacturer’s instructions (1:50 R&D Systems). When stained for phospho-Smad 1 (1:100 Cell Signaling, Beverly, MA), cells were treated with BMP4 (100 ng/ml) at different times (from 5 minutes to 2 hours). Appropriate isotypic or negative controls were always included throughout these procedures. Apoptotic cells were detected using digoxigenin-based modification of the original TUNEL method introduced by ¹ using the fluorescein-dUTP TUNEL assay (In Situ Cell Death Detection Kit, Fluorescein, Roche Applied Science). Briefly, cells grown on 12-mm coverslips were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min at room temperature and then rinsed in PBS. Cells were then permeabilized for 2 min on ice before labelling with 50 ml of TUNEL reaction mixture and incubating at 37°C for 1 hour in a humidified chamber under parafilm coverslips. After washing with PBS, slides were mounted in DAPI-containing Vectashield^TM and examined by fluorescence microscopy. For propidium iodide (PI) staining, cells were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min at room temperature, rinsed in PBS and incubated with PI (1 mg/ml) for 5 min at room temperature. After washing, coverslips were mounted in DAPI-containing Vectashield^TM and analysed by fluorescence microscopy. PI exclusion denoted viable cells. For all of the above assays, samples were run in six replicates for each condition tested.

Conventional and real-time PCR

Total RNA was isolated from cultured and acutely dissociated GBM cells using TRIzol reagent (Life Technologies, Rockville, MD), and reverse-transcribed using SuperScript RNAse H^- Reverse Transcriptase (Life Technologies). The amounts of cDNA used as templates in the conventional PCR reactions were normalized with reference to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). MCF-7 cell lines were used as positive controls for BMPRs. PCR products were visualized by electrophoresis in agarose (1%) gels stained with ethidium bromide.

Quantitative RT-PCR reactions were run in triplicate using Brilliant^® SYBR^® Green QPCR Core Reagent Kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA). SYBR Green dye binds to any PCR product, and therefore does not require the use of sequence-specific probes. Fluorescent emission was recorded in real-time (Chromo 4 Four-Color Real-Time PCR Detector, MJ Research, Bio-Rad). Gene expression profiling was completed using the comparative Ct method of relative quantification. Relative RNA quantities were normalized to two endogenous controls, GAPDH and 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA).

Primers Sequences

For conventional PCR, the following primers were used: BMP4, forward: 5'-cttcagtctggggaggag-3', reverse: 5'-gatgaggtgcccaggcac-3'; BMPR1A, forward: 5'-aatggagtaaccttagcaccagag-3', reverse: 5'-agctgagtccaggaacctgtac-3'; BMPR1B, forward: 5'- ggttgcctgtggtcacttctgg-3', reverse: 5'-tagtctgtgattaggtacaactgg-3'; BMPR2, forward: 5'- tcagatatatggcaccagaagtg-3', reverse: 5'-gtggagaggctggtgacacttg-3'; GAPDH, forward: 5'-cggagtcaacggatttggtcgtat-3', reverse: 5'-agccttctccatggtggtgaagac-3'. PCR amplification conditions consisted of 35 cycles with primers annealing at 56°C.

For real time-PCR, the following primers were used: BMPR1A, forward: 5’-caggttcctggactcagctc-3’, reverse: 5’-ctttccttgggtgccataaa-3’; BMPR1B, forward: 5’-aaaggtcgctatggggaagt-3’, reverse: 5’-gcagcaatgaaacccaaaat-3’; BMPR2, forward: 5’-gctaaaatttggcagcaagc-3’, reverse: 5’-cttgggccctatgtgtcact-3’; GAPDH: the same primers as described for conventional PCR were used; 18S rRNA, forward: 5’-agtccctgccctttgtacaca-3’, reverse: 5’-gatccgagggcctcactaaac-3’. The specificity of the primers  was confirmed for every PCR run by dissociation curve analysis (Opticon^®2 and Chromo4^™ Real-Time System Software, MJ Research). RT-PCR amplification conditions consisted of 40 cycles with primers annealing at 56°C.

Western blotting

Proteins were harvested by washing cultured and acutely dissociated GBM cells in cold PBS and lysing with 500 µl of 1X Sample Buffer (62.5 mM Tris HCl, pH 6.8 at 25°C; 2% w/v SDS; 10% Glycerol; 50 mM DTT; 0.01% w/v Bromophenol Blue). Samples were incubated on ice and stored at -20°C. Aliquots were boiled for 5 minutes, incubated on ice and loaded 20 µl/lane onto SDS-PAGE gel (10 cm x 10 cm). Proteins were then transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. Membranes were blocked in 5% milk powder/0.1% Tween in TBS for 1 h at room temperature and washed 3 times with 15 ml of TBS/0.1% Tween. Blots were then incubated with anti-Smad1-5-8 (1:1000; Cell Signaling), anti-phospho Smad1-5-8 (1:1000; Cell Signaling), anti-Smad4 (1: 200; Santa Cruz), anti-BMP4 (1:400, Chemicon) in 5% milk powder/0.1% Tween in TBS. For all blots, membranes were washed 3 times with 15 ml of TBS/0.1% Tween and then incubated with the appropriate horseradish conjugated secondary antibody (1:1000, Amersham) in 5% milk powder/0.1% Tween in TBS for 1 hour at room temperature. Bands were visualized by chemiluminescence (ECL; Amersham).

Flow cytometry

To determine the phosphorylation status of p38 and Smad 1-5-8, cell preparations were centrifuged and resuspended in 0.5 ml PBS and 0.5 ml 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min at 37°C. GBM cells were then permeabilized by slowly adding ice-cold 100% methanol to pre-chilled cells while gently vortexing, giving a final concentration of 90% methanol. Following incubation for 30 min at 4°C and centrifugation, the cells were washed twice with 3 ml of 0,5% bovine serum albumin (BSA, Sigma) in PBS, resuspended in 150 ml PBS and incubated for 10 min at room temperature. After incubation, they were exposed to a 1:50 dilution of anti-phospho Smad 1-5-8 rabbit polyclonal antibody (Cell Signaling) or 1:50 of phospho-p38 MAP kinase rabbit polyclonal antibody (Cell Signaling)  for 1 hour in the dark at room temperature. After extensive washes, a 1:800 dilution of goat anti-rabbit Ig FITC-labeled antibody (BD, Pharmingen) was added and each tube was incubated for 30 min in the dark at room temperature. After two washes with 3 ml of 0.5% BSA (Sigma) in PBS cells were resuspended in 0.5 ml PBS and analysed by flow cytometry. Autofluorescence and isotype controls were run routinely for all of these assays.

For cell cycle analysis, 1 million cultured and acutely dissociated GBM cells/sample were treated with BMP4 (100 ng/ml) for the indicated time. GBM cells were then resuspended in equal volumes of ice-cold PBS and 100% ethanol, and incubated on ice for 30 minutes. After centrifugation, the cell pellet was washed 3 X with PBS and centrifuged for 5 minutes. GBM cells were then incubated overnight in the dark in 1 ml PBS containing RNAse (12.5 mg /ml; Sigma) and propidium iodide (3 mg/ml; Sigma) and analysed by flow cytometry.

For quantification of CD133 expression, double-staining flow cytometry was performed, using 7-amino actinomycin D (7AAD) to identify viable cells.  After washing in PBS, GBM cells were resuspended in 7AAD labeling buffer (0.1 M phosphate-citrate buffer containing 0.15 M NaCl, 5 mM EDTA, 0.5% BSA and 0.004% saponin, pH 6.0) before 7AAD was added in a final concentration of 20 mM as described by ². Following 7AAD incubation for 5-7 min, GBM cells were incubated with monoclonal CD133/1 (CD133)-PE conjugate antibody (1:40, Miltenyi Biotec) for 30 min at 4°C and washed with 1 ml of growth medium. Cells were then centrifuged at 500 x g for 5 min, resuspended in 0.5 ml growth medium and analysed by flow cytometry. The same analysis was also performed using another monoclonal CD133/2 (293C3)-PE conjugate antibody, yielding identical results.

GBM cell sorting (MoFlo High Performance Cell Sorter, DakoCytomation) was performed using the same dilution of CD133/1 (CD133)-PE conjugate and CD133/2 (293C3)-PE conjugate antibodies. As described by ³, sorted cells were analysed for purity by flow cytometry with a FACSCalibur machine (BD Biosciences) using the same antibodies.

For glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), βIII-tubulin, and galactocerebroside C (galC) quantification, a rainbow calibration particle mixture (8 peaks), 3.0-3.4 mm (BD Biosciences) was used for calibration, and the intensity of cell labeling was expressed as molecules of equivalent phycoerythrin (MEPE) or molecules of equivalent fluorescein (MEFL). Briefly, for intracellular staining cells were permeabilized by in 0.5 ml of Cytofix/Cytoperm solution (BD Biosciences) at room temperature for 20 min. Cells were washed with 2 ml of BD Perm/Wash 1X (BD Biosciences) and incubated at room temperature for 10 min. After centrifugation, they were resuspended in 0.2 ml BD Perm/Wash solution 1X (BD Biosciences) containing the appropriate primary antibody mix. For membrane antigens, cells were resuspended in 0.2 ml of growth medium and then incubated for 30 min at 4°C with the following primary antibodies: 1:400 polyclonal anti-GFAP (Dako Corporation), monoclonal anti- βIII-tubulin (Babco), and monoclonal anti-galC (Chemicon). The cells were then washed and exposed for 30 min at 4°C to secondary antibody. In the case of intracellular antigens these were 1:800 goat anti-rabbit Ig FITC-labeled or goat anti-mouse IgG R-PE-labeled antibody (BD, Pharmingen), while for membrane antigens 1:1000 FITC-conjugated F(ab’)2 goat anti-mouse IgM or FITC- conjugated goat anti-mouse IgM (Jackson ImmunoResearch) were used. After extensive washing, cells were resuspended and analysed by flow cytometry.

For all the above assays, analyses were performed by flow cytometry (FACSCalibur, BD Biosciences) using CellQuest software (BD Biosciences). Background fluorescence was estimated by substituting the specific primary antibodies with specific isotype controls. Measurement of autofluorescence was also routinely conducted for each condition tested.

In vivo co-treatment and post-treatment experiments

Polymer-based delivery was performed using BMP4 loaded heparin acrylic beads (Sigma-Aldrich) (100 beads loaded for 1 hour at 37° C with 10µg BMP4/animal). In particular, for co-treatment experiments 300000 GBM cells were mixed with PBS or BMP4 beads and injected into the mouse brain using the same  stereotactic coordinates of  previous experiments. In post-treatment experiments the same quantity of beads was delivered after 10 days from the intracranial injection of GBM cells.