Figure 5.

Subcellular Localizations of Tspo mRNA in healthy and diseased lung tissue: In healthy lung tissue (A,B) Tspo mRNA is expressed in the cuboidal cells that line the respiratory bronchiole in the smooth muscle fibres surrounding the pulmonary artery (PA), and in the nuclei and cytoplasm of the endothelial cells of the pulmonary artery and lymphocytes (L) in the surrounding stroma (FM). A comparison of the fluorescent intensity shows that there is no significant difference between Tspo expression in cancer (D,F,H) and normal lung (B) tissue. Grade III lung adenocarcinoma (C,D) expresses Tspo mRNA in the cytoplasm and nuclei of tumour cells and in the fibres located in the surrounding solid like stroma. In Grade III squamous cell carcinoma (E,F) Tspo mRNA is localized in the cytoplasm and nuclei of tumour cells. In small cell carcinoma (G,H) localization occurs in the cytoplasm of tumour cells that resemble lymphocytes and in the nuclei of lymphocytes and endothelial cells lining capillaries in the stroma. (I,J) Negative control for the subcellular localization of Tspo mRNA. Sense probes were used to probe tissue preparations and this was analysed colorimetrically and fluorescently. Tissues are magnified at 1000×.