Fig. 3.

The numbers of NPCs and of CXCL12⁺ NPCs increase in DG of mice with the onset and the progression of clinical EAE and remain relatively high following spontaneous recovery. a Representative images of the DG of mice with EAE clinical episodes or following spontaneous recovery; sections were co-immunostained for DCX (green) and CXCL12 (red). b Orthogonal view of three-dimensional analysis showing NPC (DCX⁺, green) expressing CXCL12 (red). The middle image is a higher magnification of boxed area in the left image taken from DG of EAE-recovered mouse. Colocalization of DCX (green) and CXCL12 (red) was confirmed by optical dissection and orthogonal reconstruction of the confocal image (right image). c Quantitative analysis of the NPCs (DCX⁺) and NPCs co-expressing CXCL12 (DCX⁺ CXCL12⁺) in SGZ of the DG of mice with EAE clinical episodes or spontaneously recovered mice (*p < 7.4 × 10⁻⁵ and **p < 3.3 × 10⁻⁷, compared to naïve; ***p < 0.005, recovered compared to peak). Data are from five consecutive sections from each mouse, n = 3 mice/group. Data are the mean ± SEM from two independent experiments. Nuclei were visualized by DAPI counterstaining (blue). Scale bars: a, 50 μm; left image in b, 20 μm; boxed area in b, 5 μm