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Figure 3 | Journal of Neuroinflammation

Figure 3

From: Conditional expression of human β-hexosaminidase in the neurons of Sandhoff disease rescues mice from neurodegeneration but not neuroinflammation

Figure 3

Neuronal β-hexosaminidase (HEX) restitution does not reduce brain inflammation in adult HexB −/− mice. (A) Adult wild-type brains lacked any major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) immunoreactive cells, whereas (B) HexB−/− brains were characterized by the presence of MHC-II positive cells, a marker of myeloid-derived immune cells, throughout the brain parenchyma. (C) The 4-month-old Thy1-HEXB;HexB−/− littermates were also characterized by the presence of MHC-II positive cells in their brain. Another marker of myeloid-derived immune cells expressed in high levels by peripheral blood macrophages/monocytes intensely is CD45+. (D) Wild-type mice were characterized by the lack of CD45+-positive cells, whereas (E) HexB−/− mice display high numbers of CD45+ cells, also (F) present in the brains of Thy1-HEXB;HexB−/− littermates. Moreover, we evaluated the presence of reactive astrocytes in the mouse brains by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry. (G) Wild-type mice lacked GFAP+ cells (activated astrocytes) in their cortex. Conversely, (H) HexB−/− mice (4 months old) displayed GFAP+ astrocytes throughout their brain parenchyma, as well as (I) in the brain of Thy1-HEXB;HexB−/− littermates. Bar = 100 μM.

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