FIG. 6.

IgG “site-leakage,” assessed under confocal fluorescence microscopy, is preferentially observed at the site of pericyte protrusion. (A) A representative confocal projection image of whole mounted stria vascularis shows pericytes in a loud sound-stimulated animal. The square area (insert a1) highlights irregular and protruded pericytes. (B) is a merged image showing “localized” IgG leakage (green) near the site of morphologically irregular and protruded pericytes (insert b1). These features are better visualized in magnified image inserts a1 (red arrows point to protruded pericytes) and b1 (green arrows point to leaked IgG). (C) The confocal projection image shows “localized” leakage of IgG (green) from a vessel labeled with GS-IB4 (blue) in the vicinity of a protruded pericyte (red)