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. 2000 Dec 18;192(12):1731–1744. doi: 10.1084/jem.192.12.1731

Figure 6.

Figure 6

Figure 6

The accumulation of 3-nitrotyrosine is increased in the aorta of the old rat compared with that of the young rat. Representative electron micrographs show the pattern of immunogold labeling for 3-nitrotyrosine in thin sections of young (B, D, and F) and old (A, E, and G) aortas. Primary antibody binding sites were visualized with goat anti–mouse IgG conjugated to 10-nm gold particles. (A) Intima of the aorta from an old rat. Label is densest over mitochondria (m) and strong over nucleoplasm (n) and over endothelial cell cytoplasm. Sparse labeling is associated with the luminal plasmalemma (large arrowheads) and stronger label is present over the abluminal plasmalemma (small arrowheads). Strong labeling is seen in the subendothelial space (se). (B) Intima of the aorta from a young rat. Label is lower over mitochondria and cytoplasm and sparse over the luminal plasmalemma (large arrowhead) and the abluminal plasmalemma (small arrowhead). (C) Intima of an old rat. The primary antisera against nitrotyrosine was preincubated with 20 μmol/liter nitrotyrosine for 1 h before labeling as in A and B. Label density is reduced to levels lower than those seen in the young rats in all compartments. (D) Intima of a young rat showing low levels of labeling over the endothelium (e) and sparse labeling over the subendothelial space and the first elastic lamellae (l). (E) Subendothelial space and the first elastic lamellae of an old rat. Labeling density is much greater in both compartments and is particularly dense over aggregates of electron dense material seen in the subendothelial space. (F) Smooth muscle cell in the medial layer of the aorta of a young rat. Label is strongest over the cytoplasm (c) and low over the nucleoplasm and extracellular space (ec) and seldom seen over the sarcolemma (arrowhead). (G) Smooth muscle cell in the medial layer of the aorta from an old rat. Labeling is much stronger over the cytoplasm and is frequently seen over the sarcolemma (arrowheads). Bars, 0.5 μm. Original magnifications: ×22,000.