Figure 8
Dedifferentiation in the nasal septum of Col2a1- Cre ; Apc15lox/15lox embryos at E16.5. (A, E) Hematoxylin/eosin staining, (B, F, H) immunostaining for β-catenin combined with Alcian blue (AB) staining, and (C-D, G, I) gene expression analysis by in situ hybridization with indicated probes for chondrogenic differentiation on consecutive transversal sections of the developing nasal septum of a Col2a1-Cre;Apc15lox/15lox embryo and control littermate at E16.5. (F', G', H', I') High magnification pictures of the boxed regions in F, G, H, and I, respectively. Mesenchymal-like β-catenin-positive cells (arrow in F, H) were present between crumbled cartilage islands. Within these cartilage islands, although displaying chondrocytic morphology and an Alcian blue stained matrix, most of the β-catenin-positive cells did not express Sox9 (arrowheads in G') or Col2a1 (arrows in I'). Scale bars: 100 μm in A, E, F, H; 5 μm in F', H'.