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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Nov 26.
Published in final edited form as: Mol Endocrinol. 2006 Apr 6;20(8):1796–1809. doi: 10.1210/me.2005-0327

Fig. 5. Three-Dimensional Thyroid Primary Cultures in Collagen Gels.

Fig. 5

Seven-day culture of thyroid follicles (A–D), or 3-wk culture of individual thyroid follicular cells (E–J) obtained from T/ebp(fl/fl), T/ebp(fl/fl); TPO-Cre, and T/ebp(fl/ko) mouse thyroids. Paraffin sections were subjected to histological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin or T/ebp immunohistochemistry. A and B and C and D are serially prepared sections. T/ebp(fl/fl) mouse follicles maintained round shape with colloid in the lumen (A) that expressed T/ebp (B). T/ebp(fl/fl); TPO-Cre follicular cultures consisted of a mixture of follicles that were different in size and shape from round (C, representative is shown by red arrowhead) to oval to irregular (C, representatives are shown by black arrowheads), and the levels of colloid in the lumen from normal to none (C, the latter representative is shown by arrow). Some follicles exhibited T/ebp expression (D, arrowhead) whereas others had no T/ebp expression, particularly in the area where most follicles were obliterated, exhibiting solid growth pattern (C and D, shown by thin arrow). Single follicular cell grew to a cluster of spherical follicles in T/ebp(fl/fl) with a plenty of colloid in the lumen (E, representative is shown by arrow) whereas T/ebp(fl/fl); TPO-Cre and T/ebp(fl/ko) follicular cell produced irregular shaped polygonal follicles with no colloid accumulation (G and I, representative is shown by arrow). Most follicular cells from T/ebp(fl/fl) and T/ebp(fl/ko) mice were positive for T/ebp expression (F and J) whereas those of T/ebp(fl/fl); TPO-Cre mice exhibited various degrees of T/ebp expression (H). Experiments were separately carried out at least three times for each culture condition and genotype, and each time the same results were obtained. Magnification: A–D, ×100, E–J, ×200.