Comparative Analysis of the Cell Fates of Induced Schwann Cells from Subcutaneous Fat Tissue and Naïve Schwann Cells in the Sciatic Nerve Injury Model

Figure 2

Histological analysis of the sciatic nerve injured site. (a) After crush injury of sciatic nerve at 1 week, the neurofilament 200 kDa (NF-200 kDa) expressing nerve axons were completely distorted and P0-expressing SCs disappeared in the lesion site indicated by dotted line. (b) Fluorescence images of eGFP-expressing cells (green) and immunofluorescence staining with anti-P0 (red) antibodies in cross sections and longitudinal sections of sciatic injury area. In the eGFP-SCs transplanted group, GFP fluorescence was more widely and evenly detected in most areas of the injured site; however, in the eGFP-SCs transplanted group, GFP fluorescence was mainly concentrated at the injection site and migrated along the longitudinal lines of the axon. Although identical numbers of cells were transplanted, more cells were detected in the wider area of the injured site. P0 proteins were evenly observed in all areas of the cell-injected sites in both eGFP-SCs and eGFP-SCs groups, indicating myelin sheath formation in the entire area of the injured site. (c) Fluorescence images of GFP + cells (green) and double immunofluorescence staining with anti-P0 (red) antibodies and NF-200 (blue) antibodies in cross sections of sciatic injury area. In the eGFP-SCs transplanted group, the eGFP-expressing cells were connected to each other and formed honeycomb-like structures, which often have empty holes. P0-expressing ring-like myelin sheath was tightly wrapping one of NF-200 positive axons (arrowheads). Some of GFP-expressing holes were empty, which are supposed to be a vascular structure (arrows). On the contrary, eGFP-SCs were sparsely distributed and not interconnected to others. Each of eGFP-SCs wrapped up an axon and was tightly coincided with P0-positive myelin sheath.

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