Histological markers for endothelial cells in endogenous and transplanted rodent pancreatic islets.
OBJECTIVE
To obtain a selective marker to identify endothelial cells is difficult, due to the heterogeneity of these cells. Most described markers perform well in some applications, but fail in others. The aim of this study was to identify a selective and specific marker for rodent microvascular endothelial cells, especially for use in studies on the vascular system of pancreatic islets.


METHODS
A biotin-labelled form of the lectin Bandeiraea or Griffonia simplicifolia in combination with a streptAB-Complex with alkaline phosphatase was used to stain endothelium in paraffin-embedded tissue sections from C57BL/6 mice, Sprague-Dawley or Wistar-Furth rats.


RESULTS
We were consistently able to selectively stain microvascular endothelial cells in lungs, small intestines, white and brown adipose tissue, pancreas and islets of Langerhans with the lectin Bandeiraea simplicifolia. Furthermore, we were able to visualise the vasculature in syngenically transplanted islets of Langerhans in Wistar-Furth rats and C57BL/6 mice. Attempts to stain rodent endothelial cells with antibodies against CD34, CD31, CD200, Ox43, von Willebrand factor and the lectin Ulex europaeus were not uniformly successful.


CONCLUSIONS
The lectin Bandeiraea simplicifolia is a versatile marker for rodent endothelial cells, and may be used to study revascularisation after transplantation of pancreatic islet in rodents.
Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Centre, Box 571, Uppsala University, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden. Goran.Mattsson@medcellbiol.uu.se
Göran
G
Mattsson
Per-Ola
PO
Carlsson
Kristin
K
Olausson
Leif
L
Jansson
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D037102:Lectins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D037121:Plant Lectins; D051381:Rats; D011920:Rats, Inbred WF; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic
D015415:Biomarkers; C045475:Griffonia simplicifolia lectins; D037102:Lectins; D037121:Plant Lectins; C036850:Ulex europaeus lectins