Figure 7

Relationships among pancreatic innervation, macrophages (Mφ), and chemokines. A to C, Immunohistochemistry for NF200 in 2-week-old control (A and B) and NODscid (C) pancreata. Note the fine neurofilament 200-positive (NF200⁺) fibers at the islet periphery and also the large NF200⁺ trunks in perivascular and ductular areas (× 500). D to F, NF200, Bcl-2, and Fas immunohistochemistry in serial sections of a 4-week-old NOD mouse pancreas. NF200 innervation is present at the duct and islet periphery (D), and part of this innervation seems to be Bcl-2⁺ (E) or Fas⁺ (F) (× 500). G to I, Immunohistochemistry for NF200 (G) and Mφ (ER-MP23 and BM8, H and I, respectively) in serial pancreas sections from a 4-week-old control C57BL/6 mouse. Note the perivascular NF200⁺ innervation, which is surrounded by many ER-MP23⁺ Mφ and a few BM8⁺ cells (× 320). J to O, Double immunofluorescence labeling for peripherin, another marker of innervation, and the chemokine interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) or ER-MP23⁺ Mφ in the pancreas of a 1-week-old control C57BL/6. J and M, Double immunofluorescence labeling of peripherin (J) and IP-10 (M) (white arrows point to the structures in which peripherin and IP-10 appear to be colocalized; × 200). Note that peripherin-positive innervation is weakly positive for IP-10. Arterioles appear to be strongly positive because of their high autofluorescence. K and N, Double immunofluorescence for peripherin (K) and IP-10 (N) (× 400). Part of innervation at the periphery of the islet is also weakly IP-10⁺. L and O, Double immunofluorescence for peripherin (L) and ER-MP23 (O) (× 800). Note the large peripherin-positive nerve trunk above an arteriole, which is surrounded by ER-MP23⁺ Mφ.