Typing of pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts identifies different subpopulations

Figure 4 CD271 expression in pancreatic cancer. A: Semi-quantitative mean labelling scores of CD271 in juxtatumoural cancer-associated fibroblasts (j-CAFs) = 0.9, peripheral cancer-associated fibroblasts (p-CAFs) = 2.5, lobular fibroblasts (l-FBs) = 2.9, and septal fibroblasts (s-FBs) = 2.9. CD271 is expressed at significantly higher levels in p-CAFs, l-FBs and s-FBs than in j-CAFs. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01; B: Barely perceptible CD271 expression in spindle-shaped cells in the juxtatumoural stroma; C: In the peripheral stroma, moderate CD271 expression in p-CAFs. Maspin-positive cancer cells are D: present in the juxtatumoural stroma; but E: not in the peripheral stroma. Strong α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in F: j-CAFs and G: p-CAFs (scale bars, 250 μm); H: p-CAFs co-express CD271 and α-SMA [double-immunofluorescence (d-IF) of α-SMA (green) and CD271 (red); scale bar 10 μm]; I: No co-expression of CD271 with the endothelial marker ETS-related gene (ERG) [d-IF of ERG (green) and CD271 (red); scale bar, 10 μm]; J: No co-expression of CD10 with IBA1 in histiocytic cells [d-IF of IBA1 (green) and CD10 (red); scale bar, 20 μm]; j-CAFs: Juxtatumoural cancer-associated fibroblasts; p-CAFs: Peripheral cancer-associated fibroblasts; l-FBs: Lobular fibroblasts; s-FBs: Septal fibroblasts.