Fig. 1.

Immunohistochemical localization and expression of deer TMSB10 in the antler tip and in deer cell lines. a Deer TMSB10 protein in antler tip by immunohistochemistry. IgG shows rabbit IgG control, TMSB10 shows rabbit anti-TMSB10, Magnification shows enlarged view of TMSB10 section. Scale bar = 3000 μm for IgG and TMSB10; 1000 μm for magnification. b Antler regeneration cycle. In spring, hard antlers drop off from the pedicles, and antler regeneration immediately follows. Rapid antler growth occurs in summer. Growing antlers are enveloped with velvet skin. In autumn, antlers become fully calcified and velvet skin starts to shed. In winter, hard antlers are attached to their pedicles and subsequently cast in the next spring, which triggers a new round of antler regeneration. Copyright ©, reprinted from our previous works [1] with kind permission for educational use from Frontiers in Bioscience. c Protein expression levels of TMSB10 in deer cell lines as detected using Western blotting. d Representative images of TMSB10 protein in deer cell lines using immunofluorescence. Scale bars = 100 μm. AP antlerogenic periosteum, C cartilage, D dermis, FP facial periosteum, PC precartilage, PP pedicle periosteum, RM reserve mesenchyme, TZ transitional zone