Figure 8

Attenuated post-SCI neuroinflammation in Bmal1^−/− mice. Mice and the immunostaining analyses were as described for Fig. 7. (a) Representative images of the lesion area stained for inflammatory markers including the pan-leukocyte membrane protein CD45, the EC/PC/leukocyte cell adhesion molecule ICAM1 and the activated macrophage receptor CD36. Note strong signals in the WT fibrotic scar of the injury epicenter (as defined by lack of GFAP⁺ astrocytes or dense packing of Hoechst⁺ nuclei, arrows). In Bmal1^−/− spinal cords, signals for all three inflammatory markers are reduced. Representative images of dpi 1 staining are shown in Supplementary Fig. S9. (b), Quantification of relative signal area for inflammatory markers was performed in the lesion core as described for Fig. 7. Data in (b) are means ± SD (*p < 0.05; ns, p > 0.05 u-test; at dpi 1, a decreasing trend was observed for ICAM1, p = 0.059); calibration bar is 500 μm.