A recent study showed that mammary tumor cells displayed a more differentiated phenotype when cultured on collagen coated substrates, while they displayed an invasive phenotype and EMT-related gene Reversine expression pattern when cultured on fibronectin coated substrates. Therefore, FHBP may induce EMT which in turn enhance tumorsphere formation. In the EMT process, the expression of E-Cadherin is down regulated but ECadherin may also be up-regulated with increasing cell-cell interaction. Consistent with this, the expression of E-Cadherin was initially reduced in our study in the cells encapsulated in FHBP gel but increased at a later time point. The expression pattern of some of the examined EMT markers also suggests that enhanced EMT may contribute to the increased tumorsphere formation in FHBP conjugated gels. This study also included the mutant forms of the peptides. Although the mutants did not affect tumorsphere formation, they slightly affected the expression of some of the markers. It is possible that the mutants bind to the corresponding receptors but with much lower affinity or non-specifically. In summary, this study demonstrated that cell adhesion peptides could either increase or diminish CSC population in the inert 3D PEGDA hydrogel cell culture system, as the mechanisms for CSC maintenance among these peptides are different. It is an acid-fast Gram-positive aerobic bacterium characterized by the presence of outer membrane which generates visible colonies within seven days of inoculation. M. abscessus, being an intracellular pathogen, is responsible for severe persistent pulmonary infections, disseminated cutaneous diseases, posttraumatic, and post-surgical wound infections, mostly in immunocompetent and cystic fibrosis patients. In Korea and United states, M. abscessus is considered as the second and third most common non-tuberculous mycobacterial respiratory pathogen, respectively which is accountable for approximately 80% of pulmonary LY2109761 infections caused by RGM. This neglected pathogen causes a higher fatality rate compared to other RGMs and the infection of CF patients is becoming a major healthrelated issue in most cystic fibrosis centers worldwide. Several outbreaks of M. abscessus skin and soft tissue infections, following the use of contaminated medical instruments like needles or scalpels, and after surgery have been reported since 2004. The pathogen also has potential to cross the blood-brain barrier causing meningitis and meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised patients. American Thoracic Society has recommended different groups of antimicrobial agents, namely, macrolides, aminoglycosides, cephamycins, carbapenems, glycylcyclines, oxazolidinones, and quinolones for treatment -Notoginsenoside-R2.png)
of M. abscessus infections. The patients with severe infections are generally treated with long courses of combinatorial antibiotic therapy which is often accompanied by surgical resection. However, the emerging pathogen is not uniformly susceptible to the currently used antibiotics which varies depending on the clinical isolates. As a consequence, an optimal regimen to cure the M. abscessus infections has not been yet established. M. abscessus is regarded as the most chemotherapy-resistant species among rapidly growing mycobacteria. The pathogen has acquired resistance to several antibiotics through mutation of genes as well as horizontal transfer of resistance.