Figure 4.

Effects of AAV-VEGF-A and AAV-VEGF-C overexpression on the adult SVZ. Blood vessel pattern in the striatal wall, as shown by labeling of endothelial cells (CD31, green) and pericytes (PDGFR-β, red), while astrocytes are stained with anti-GFAP Ab (blue). AAV-VEGF-C-treated and AAV-VEGF-C156-treated (a VEGF-C variant that cannot bind to VEGFR-2) animals display a vascular network similar to AAV-ctl. In contrast, AAV-VEGF-A induced robust angiogenesis, which is attested to by a dense network of CD31⁺ endothelial cells and PDGFRβ⁺ pericytes at the site of injection. Note that the number of astroglial cells increased in AAV-VEGF-C- and AAV-VEGF-C156-treated animals compared with controls. Bar, 20 μm.