In contrast, BrdU/F4/80 (Kupffer cells) double-positive cells were uniformly distributed over the whole lobule, but enriched in clusters around perished Selleck MK-0457 hepatocytes (Figure 4D). No BrdU/CD31 double positive cells were detected, though increased expression of CD31 was determined by Q-INCB28060 order RT-PCR and in situ. This fact points to a rise of CD31 expression in existing sinusoidal endothelial cells (not shown). Figure 4 Expansion of oval cells and sinusoidal cells under CDE conditions is proliferative. Double-immunohistochemistry of BrdU with cytokeratin (A), BrdU with GFAP (B), BrdU with vimentin (C) and BrdU with F4/80 (D). In A, B and C, BrdU-positive nuclei are labelled in brown and the corresponding biomarkers

in purple. In (D) BrdU-positive nuclei are labelled in purple and the corresponding this website Kupffer cell marker (F4/80) in brown. Nuclei were counterstained with hematoxylin (blue). Bars = 50 μm. Secondly, we examined rapidly growing mouse liver related cell lines for their expression of M-Pk and compared it to primary hepatocytes and freshly isolated sinusoidal cells. We included into our study oval cell lines OVUE867 and 265 [20], the monocyte/macrophage cell

line RAW264.7 (DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany), the hepatic stellate cell line HSC-Mim 1-4 [21], the liver tumor cell line Hepa 1C7 (DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany), as well as primary sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) and primary sinusoidal cells both derived from freshly isolated mouse liver of control mice. Obtained RT-PCR products were cloned and at least five clones from every cell type were sequenced. Clones

from cell lines were 100% M2-Pk homologous. Seventy% of the sequenced clones from primary SECs and sinusoidal cells were from M2-Pk type and 30% of the clones displayed M1-Pk sequence. Probably, the M1-Pk signal is due to remaining cell contamination of primary cells with smooth muscle cells of liver vessels. M2-Pk colocalises with most sinusoidal cell populations We analysed double fluorescence stainings of M2-Pk (antibody DF-4, Table 1) with markers of sinusoidal cells using laser scanning microscopy to attribute the M2-Pk signal to the appropriate cell type (Figure 5). M2-Pk colocalized with F4/80 (Kupffer cell marker, Figure 5A), oxyclozanide GFAP (HSC marker, Figure 5B) and vimentin in pericentral and midzonal regions (Figure 5C). Double fluorescence of anti-vimentin with anti-CD31 demonstrates that SECs belong to the vimentin positive cell type (Figure 5F). Figure 5 Confocal laser scanning microscopy of M2-Pk and biomarkers of sinusoidal liver cells. Double immunofluorescence of M2-Pk (green, A’, B’, C’) with F4/80 (red, A), with GFAP (red, B) and with vimentin (red, C). Merged images are shown in A”, B” and C”, respectively. Colocalization of GFAP (red, D, E) with vimentin in a pericentral (green, D’) and in a periportal (green, E’) region is shown in D” and E”, respectively.