In adult mice, Gli1+ MSCs within the suture are spatially associated with osteogenesis and vasculature. (a) Experimental design for labeling Gli1+ cells using Gli1-CreERT2; Ai14 mice and for labeling osteogenesis with calcein green injection. (b) Association of Gli1+ cells (red) with osteogenic activity (green) within the sagittal (b), palatal (c), and frontal/premaxilla (d) sutures. (e) Experimental design for labeling Gli1+ cells using Gli1-CreERT2; Ai14 mice and for labeling vasculature with laminin antibody. (f) Schematic drawing of calvarial bone showing the image locations of panel
(g, h). (g, h) A 3D image stack of 100 μm thickness showed the spatial association of Gli1+ cells (red) with the vasculature (green) within (g) and near (h) the sagittal suture. Cor. S, coronal suture; Fro-Premaxi. S, frontal/premaxilla suture; Lamb. S, lambdoid suture; MSCs, mesenchymal stem cells; Sag. S, sagittal suture. Scale bars, 100 μm.