Fig. 6: Pathology-specific GAL3 expression in human reactive astrocytes is tightly correlated with their proliferative response and neurosphere-forming capacity.

a, Representative GAL3 immunolabeling (brown color) of gliotic cerebral cortex from the patients with TBI, stroke, COVID-19 or AC (higher magnifications in right panels). b,c, Proportions of GAL3⁺ (b) and GFAP⁺GAL3⁺ cells in these pathologies (c). d, Appearance of GAL3⁺GFAP⁺ cells and examples of GAL3⁺GFAP⁺MIB1⁺ astrocytes indicated by white arrowheads (d, d′) within the edematous GM from COVID-19 victim. e, Micrographs of GAL3⁺MIB1⁺GFAP⁺ cells (white arrowheads) in the TBI or stroke affected GM (n = 3 sections per patient per diagnosis in a–e). f–h, Images of GFAP (left) and FN/LAMININ1 (LAM1, right) immunolabeling in the nongliotic (f), gliotic (g) and hemorrhage-affected gliotic (h) cerebral tissue from patients with epilepsy (EP). i–l, Examples of GAL1⁺GFAP⁻ or GAL3⁺GFAP⁻ (empty yellow arrowheads), GAL1⁺GAL3⁺GFAP⁻ (yellow arrowheads) and GAL3⁺GFAP⁺ (white arrowheads) cells in nongliotic (i, i′), gliotic (j, j′) and (micro)hemorrhage-affected (k and l, l′) tissue samples from patients with epilepsy. Phase-contrast examples of neurospheres (m) formed from tissue from patients with epilepsy (n = 4) and their quantification over three passages for self-renewal (n). p,o, Fluorescence micrographs (p) show their differentiation as quantified (o). Data are presented as median and interquartile range (b, c and n). Each dot represents one patient. Adjusted P values from ordinary one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons test (b, c and n). Scale bars: 100 µm (f–k), 75 µm (a, d and i′), 50 µm (e, j′, l, m and p) and 25 µm (l′ and p).

Source data