Fig. 3.

Imaging LMS. a Imaging of LMS is best conducted when LMS are flat, allowing acquisition of images of cells within a single plane. During fixation, cardiomyocyte hypercontraction can result in tissue deformation and folding, which makes image acquisition time consuming and technically challenging. This can be overcome by performing fixation with the LMS mechanically stretched and imaging performed, while the slice is flattened with a glass coverslip. b Representative vimentin staining of rat LMS. c Cross section of LMS stained for WGA (in red) and DAPI (in green). d LMS stained for isolectin-B4 (in green) and DAPI (in red) to identify endothelial cells and cardiac cell nuclei