Typing of pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts identifies different subpopulations

Figure 7 Nestin expression in pancreatic cancer. A: Semi-quantitative mean labelling scores of nestin in juxtatumoural cancer-associated fibroblasts (j-CAFs) = 2.1, peripheral cancer-associated fibroblasts (p-CAFs) = 1.1, lobular fibroblasts (l-FBs) = 2.4, and septal fibroblasts (s-FBs) = 1.5. Nestin is expressed at significantly higher levels in j-CAFs and l-FBs than in p-CAFs. ^bP < 0.01, ^cP < 0.001; B: Weak nestin expression in a small fraction of spindle-shaped cells in the juxtatumoural stroma; C: Barely perceptible nestin expression in the peripheral stroma. Maspin-positive cancer cells are D: present in the juxtatumoural stroma but; E: not in the peripheral stroma (scale bars, 50 μm); F: Some j-CAFs co-express nestin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) (closed arrows). Additional expression was observed in α-SMA-negative endothelia (dotted arrow) [double-immunofluorescence (d-IF) of α-SMA (green) and nestin (red); scale bar, 20 μm]; G: Nestin and ETS-related gene (ERG) are co-expressed in endothelial cells [d-IF of ERG (green) and nestin (red); scale bar, 10 μm]. j-CAFs: Juxtatumoural cancer-associated fibroblasts; p-CAFs: Peripheral cancer-associated fibroblasts; l-FBs: Lobular fibroblasts; s-FBs: Septal fibroblasts.