Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Department of Stem Cells and Human Disease Models, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta, Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
Angiogenesis. 2020 Aug;23(3):459-477. doi: 10.1007/s10456-020-09724-y. Epub 2020 May 5.
Blood vessels and nerve tissues are critical to the development and functionality of many vital organs. However, little is currently known about their interdependency during development and after injury. In this study, dual fluorescence transgenic reporter mice were utilized to observe blood vessels and nervous tissues in organs postnatally. Thy1-YFP and Flt1-DsRed (TYFD) mice were interbred to achieve dual fluorescence in the offspring, with Thy1-YFP yellow fluorescence expressed primarily in nerves, and Flt1-DsRed fluorescence expressed selectively in blood vessels. Using this dual fluorescent mouse strain, we were able to visualize the networks of nervous and vascular tissue simultaneously in various organ systems both in the physiological state and after injury. Using ex vivo high-resolution imaging in this dual fluorescent strain, we characterized the organizational patterns of both nervous and vascular systems in a diverse set of organs and tissues. In the cornea, we also observed the dynamic patterns of nerve and blood vessel networks following epithelial debridement injury. These findings highlight the versatility of this dual fluorescent strain for characterizing the relationship between nerve and blood vessel growth and organization.
血管和神经组织对于许多重要器官的发育和功能至关重要。然而，目前对于它们在发育过程中和受伤后的相互依存关系知之甚少。在这项研究中，利用双荧光转基因报告小鼠来观察出生后器官中的血管和神经组织。通过将 Thy1-YFP 和 Flt1-DsRed（TYFD）小鼠进行杂交，使后代同时具有双荧光，其中 Thy1-YFP 的黄色荧光主要表达在神经中，而 Flt1-DsRed 荧光则选择性地表达在血管中。使用这种双荧光小鼠品系，我们能够在生理状态和受伤后同时可视化各种器官系统中神经和血管组织的网络。通过在这种双荧光品系中进行离体高分辨率成像，我们描述了一系列不同的器官和组织中神经和血管系统的组织模式。在角膜中，我们还观察到上皮清创损伤后神经和血管网络的动态模式。这些发现突出了这种双荧光品系在描述神经和血管生长和组织之间关系的多功能性。
