Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 expression during mouse postimplantation development.

With the aim to analyze the ontogeny of the mouse endothelium, monoclonal antibody (mAb) MEC 13.3 was used for the immunohistochemical staining of frozen sections of different stages of mouse embryo development. This mAb specifically recognizes membrane reinforcement of endothelial cells (EC) from mouse blood vessels, indicating the expression of a molecule related to the murine form of PECAM-1/CD31. The present study reports the expression of the murine PECAM-1/CD31 antigen, observed with the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique, in a single cell type, with a typical non-differentiated morphology at an early stage of mouse postimplantation embryos. A progressive increase in the number of this cell type was observed in the early stages of murine development, but few were detected at mature stages. On the other hand, EC in days 9.5, 14.5 and 19.5 postcoitum embryos were also recognized by the same mAb MEC 13.3 allowing the recognition of a cell type related directly or indirectly to vascular network development.