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. 2014 Jun;184(6):1660–1667. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2014.02.007

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Cre expression in the RPE correlates with abnormal RPE cell morphology and attenuation of cytoplasmic β-catenin and phalloidin staining in VMD2-Cre+/WT mice. A: Immunolabeling of a choroidal flat mount in a 13-month-old VMD2-Cre+/WT mouse shows that Cre-expressing (Cre+/WT) cells (long arrow) are smaller and have attenuated cytoplasmic active β-catenin labeling, compared with adjacent Cre-negative cells (short arrow). B: Cre-expressing (Cre+/WT) (long arrow) cells also show reduced phalloidin labeling compared with Cre-negative cells (short arrow) in the same choroidal flat mount. C and D: Smaller magnification images from same choroidal flat mount indicate that Cre expression in RPE cells is associated with reduced phalloidin and cytoplasmic active β-catenin staining and with smaller RPE cell size (long arrows), compared with Cre-negative RPE cells (short arrows). E: Choroidal flat mount staining for active β-catenin, phalloidin, and Cre in a 13-month-old wild-type (Cre-negative) age-matched littermate shows normal RPE cells. F: In a 13-month-old VMD2-Cre+/WT mouse with silenced Cre expression in the RPE (no Cre expression was detected by immunolabeling for Cre), no RPE abnormalities were found, indicating that RPE abnormalities correlate with Cre expression in this mouse strain. Blue nuclei are because of DAPI staining. Scale bars: 50 μm (A and B); 100 μm (C–F).