Figure 2.

Confocal images showing the localization of NGF and CD-31 immunoreactivity in a blood vessel in the young mouse femur. Note that in these confocal images, the same section has simultaneously been stained with antibodies raised against NGF (A) and CD-31 (B). The triangles (1–3) outline the clusters of DAPI+ nuclei to show that what is being shown in (A) is in exact register with (B). Note that there is at best only a partial co-localization (arrows) of NGF+ cells (A) and CD-31+ endothelial cells (B). These data suggest that another non-CD-31+ endothelial cells such as pericytes may be the primary NGF+ blood vessel-associated cells in bone. Similar NGF+ blood vessel-associated cells were observed throughout the marrow and periosteum but was not observed in cortical bone as the Haversian canals that vascularize cortical bone had yet to form in these young mice. These confocal images are taken from one 60 µm section where the total z-stack = 60 µm. Line bar = 30 µm.