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Fig. 1 | Arthritis Research & Therapy

Fig. 1

From: Blocking CD248 molecules in perivascular stromal cells of patients with systemic sclerosis strongly inhibits their differentiation toward myofibroblasts and proliferation: a new potential target for antifibrotic therapy

Fig. 1

CD248 expression in skin of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). a, b Immunofluorescence staining of ten early-onset subset (EOS) SSc skin samples. a CD248 (green) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) (red) staining. b Consecutive section stained with CD248 (green), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) (red). CD248 is expressed in endothelial cells (EC) and perivascular cells of EOS SSc skin vessels. The arrowheads show CD248+ cells localized close to microvessels. c and d Immunofluorescence staining of ten long-standing subset (LSS) SSc skin samples. c CD248 (green) and vWF (red) staining. d Consecutive section stained with CD248 (green) and α-SMA (red). CD248 is expressed in EC and perivascular cells of LSS SSc skin vessels. The arrowheads show CD248+ cells localized close to microvessels. e and f Immunofluorescence staining of ten healthy control subject (HC) skin samples. Microphotographs show (e) CD248 (green) and vWF (red) staining and (f) consecutive section stained with CD248 (green) and α-SMA (red). Weak expression of CD248 may be observed in EC and pericytes of HC skin vessels. Negative control samples were obtained by omitting the primary antibody. Original magnification × 20. g qRT-PCR of CD248 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in ten EOS-SSc skin, ten LSS-SSc skin, and ten HC-skin samples. In SSc-skin, CD248 mRNA expression levels are always significantly higher than in HC mesenchymal stem cells. CD248 mRNA expression is significantly higher in LSS-SSc skin than in EOS-SSc skin. * p = 0.01, *** p < 0.0001

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