Development of the nervous system in mouse liver

Figure 4 Immunohistochemical analysis. A: Immunohistochemical analysis of the liver at embryonic day 12.5. Jagged-1 was diffusely positive in the liver (lower left panel), and SRY-related high mobility group-box gene 9 (SOX9)-positive bile duct progenitor cells were found around the large vessels presumably defined as portal veins (upper right panel); however, cytokeratin 19 (CK19) (another marker for bile duct)- and protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) (a marker for neurons)-positive cells were not found (shown in the upper left panel and lower right panels, respectively). Arrows indicate portal veins; B: Immunohistochemical analysis of the center of the liver at embryonic day 15.5. SOX9-positive bile duct progenitor cells were found around the large vessel presumably defined as portal veins. The hilar bile duct strongly expressed SOX9 and weakly expressed CK19. PGP9.5-positive bodies were only found in the parenchyma around the hilar bile duct (red arrow). Scale bars = 200 μm. CK19: Cytokeratin 19; SOX9: SRY-related high mobility group-box gene 9; PGP9.5: Protein gene product 9.5.