Figure 4.

β-gal expression and histological analyses in Skt^Gtmice. At E7.5 (A), the chorion was stained with X-gal, but the midline region of the embryo was not stained. At E8.5 (B) and E9.0 (C) intense staining was detected in the notochord. At E11.5 (D–F), the notochord and the mesonephros expressed β-geo strongly in whole-mount X-gal staining (D), the frontal section (E), and the sagittal section (F). Sagittal sections of the tail bud of Skt^Gt/+ (G and H) and Skt^Gt/Gt (I and J) embryos at E17.5. At E17.5, some IVDs were compressed in the tail bud of Skt^Gt/Gt (J). Sagittal sections of the tail tips of newborn Skt^Gt/+ (K and L) and Skt^Gt/Gt (M and N) mice. In the Skt^Gt/Gt neonate, the vertebral body alignment was undulated (M and N). Sagittal sections of the tail tips of 2-week-old Skt^Gt/+ (O and P) and Skt^Gt/Gt (Q and R) mice. In the 2-week-old Skt^Gt/Gt mice, the X-gal-positive nuclei pulposi were dislocated to the periphery (Q and R). (H, J, L, N, P, and R) Higher magnification of the area indicated by the boxes in G, I, K, M, O, and Q, respectively. Sections (G–J) were stained with alcian blue and sections of X-gal staining (E, F, and K–R) were counterstained with Nuclear Fast red. Bars, 200 μm.