Fig. 3.

Single optical confocal microscopy images showing differential signal intensities in pericytes between polyclonal and monoclonal anti-NG2 antibodies. (A) Pericytes (arrows) were only poorly stained by rabbit polyclonal anti-NG2 antibody (rb-NG2, green), but were stained intensely by mouse monoclonal anti-NG2 antibody (ms-NG2, red). A merged image is shown. (B–G) To detect Ki67(+)/rb-NG2(−)/ms-NG2(+) pericytes, a cocktail of anti-Ki67/rb-NG2/ms-NG2 antibodies was used. Ki67 and rb-NG2 were visualized in green and ms-NG2 in red. (B, C) Rb-NG2 and ms-NG2 antibodies equally labeled Ki67(+) proliferating cells with stellate morphology. (B) and (C) show a Ki67(+)/rb-NG2(+)/ms-NG2(+) cell (arrows). Note that the Ki67 protein localizes to the nucleus (B), but the NG2 signal is localized to the surface of the cell, and is not present in the nucleus (C). (D–G) An example of a small number of rb-NG2(−)(green)/ms-NG2(+) (red) pericytes in the cell cycle (Ki67(+), green; arrows). The arrowheads indicate the processes of another NG2(+) cell with stellate morphology. Bars=20 µm.