Fig. 8. Effects of NLef1 transgene on markers of proliferation and differentiation. Wholemounts of tail epidermis from 3.5-month-old wild-type animals (A,C,E,G), 3.5-month-old K14NLef1 transgenic mice (B,D,F,H), and 3.5-week-old K14NLef1 transgenic mice (I-K) were stained to detect TUNEL-positive cells (green in I,J) or labelled with antibodies against Ki67 (red in A-D,I,J), BrdU (to detect LRC; A,B,K), keratins 10 (green in E,F) and 6 (green in G,H), 6 (red in E,F) and ß1 integrins (red in G,H). (A,B) Note reduction in number of LRC in deformed hair follicles of transgenic mice (arrowheads in B). In wild-type anagen hair follicles, Ki67 labelling is concentrated at the base of the hair follicles (arrows in A), whereas in aberrant transgenic follicles, Ki67-positive cells are found throughout the deformed hair follicles (arrows in B). (C,D) High power views of interfollicular epidermis. (E,F) In transgenic animals note labelling for keratin 10 extends to the middle and lower part of deformed follicles (arrows in F) and to developing cysts (asterisks in F). (G,H) Keratin 6 labelling is less restricted in transgenic than wild-type follicles (arrows in G,H). (I,J) TUNEL-positive cells are increased in transgenic (I) versus nontransgenic (J) hair follicles. Arrows indicate that TUNEL-positive cells are primarily located in the lower one-third of the hair follicles. Asterisks indicate non-specific staining of hair shafts. (K) High-power confocal micrograph of a hair follicle; arrows indicate examples of double-labelled cells. Scale bar: 100 µm in A,B,E-H,I-J; 20 µm in C,D,K.

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