Figure 3.
Large artery-specific silencing of the reporter gene in intronic CArG-mutant mice. Abdominal organs removed en block showed reporter expression in the blood vessels and urinary tract in the wild-type (a) and intronic CArG-mutant (b) transgenic mice. To better illustrate transgene expression in large arteries, several smaller arteries and connective tissues were removed, and the tissues were cleared. The supramesenteric artery, which was stained positive, was removed from the intronic CArG-mutant mouse tissues. A portion of the tissues is expanded in the inset in b. Arrowheads indicate the position of aorta that is not visible because of the lack of staining. Note that the blood vessels within the kidneys were not stained in either wild-type or intronic CArG mutants. (c and d) The thoracic aorta and branching arteries of the wild-type (c) and the intronic CArG-mutant (d) transgenic mice. (e) View of the large arteries in the cervicothoracic region of the intronic CArG-mutant transgenic mouse. (f) The large arteries and their branches in the abdomen of the intronic CArG mutant. A portion of the arteries is expanded in the inset in (f). (g–j) Histological examination of the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava of the wild-type (g, i) and the intronic CArG mutant (h, j). The boxed areas (g, h) are shown by a higher magnification (i, j). Ao, aorta; DA, ductus arteriosus; IVC, inferior vena cava; SCA, subclavian artery.