Blockade of VEGFR2 and Not VEGFR1 Can Limit Diet-Induced Fat Tissue Expansion: Role of Local versus Bone Marrow-Derived Endothelial Cells
Figure 1
Imaging of adipose tissue vasculature in GFP transgenic mice.
A: Incorporation of BMD-EC in mammary fat pad vasculature in WT/Tie2-GFP-BMT mice. B: Ex vivo confocal microscopy imaging of mammary fat pad in two mice with age-related obesity (∼18 months old). BMD-EC contributed to approximately 8% of the mammary fat pad vasculature. C: Representative image of GFP+ BMD-EC in the mammary fat pad of an obese mouse after 6 weeks on a high fat diet. BMD-EC contribution to mammary fat pad vasculature was minimal (0.8%, n = 4). Vessels were perfused with biotinylated-lectin and stained with streptavidin Texas Red (shown in red), while the nuclei were stained with DAPI (in blue, A, B). Rhodamine-dextran MW 2,000,000 was infused for vessel enhancement in C. D: Representative image of occasional GFP+ BMD-EC (arrow) in perfused mammary fat pad blood vessels in a 12 months old WT/Actb-GFP-BMT mouse. Vessels were perfused with biotinylated-lectin and stained with streptavidin Texas Red (red), while the nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). Images are 1.72 mm across in A, 310 µm across in B, 700 µm across in C, 1.72 mm across in D.