Figure 6. N-Cad⁺ Stromal Cells Give Rise to Osteoblasts and Adipocytes in Adult Mice.

(A) Representative images of N-cad-CreER^T; R26-tdT; Col2.3-GFP mice at indicated time post-TMX showing Tom⁺Col2.3-GFP⁺ osteoblasts. Scale bar, 100 μm.

(B and C) High-power images of N-cad-CreER^T; R26-tdT; Col2.3-GFP mice shown at 6 (B) and 14 h (C) post-TMX. Hollow arrows denote Tom⁺Col2.3GFP⁺ osteoblasts (yellow); solid arrows indicate that N-cad recombined in TB (i, ii, iv, v) and CB (iii, vi) (red) and cells potentially undifferentiated (Col2.3-GFP⁻). Scale bar, 50 μm.

(D and E) Image quantification of percentage of Tom⁺Col2.3-GFP⁺ and Tom⁺Col2.3-GFP⁻ cells in TB (D) and CB (E) at indicated time post-TMX (n = 2).

(F) Image quantification of potentially undifferentiated Tom⁺Col2.3-GFP⁻ cells in TB and CB (n = 2).

(G) Representative images of TB and CB in N-cad-CreER^T; R26-tdT; Col2.3-GFP mice at 4 weeks post-TMX. Scale bar, 20 μm.

(H) Representative images of femur section in N-cad-CreER^T; R26-tdT mice with Perilipin staining in periosteal region (i), TB (ii), and CM (iii) (arrows) at 4 weeks post-TMX.

(I) BODIPY staining showed the adiposome (green) inside the Tom⁺ Perilipin⁺ adipocyte (arrows). Scale bar, 20 μm.

(J and K) Image quantification of Tom⁺Perilipin⁺ adipocytes in TB (J) and periosteal region (K) at 6, 14, and 24 h and 2 and 4 weeks post-TMX (n = 2). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. Error bars, SEM.