Adhesion molecules VCAM, ICAM, and PECAM are up-regulated in LPS-treated normal and transgenic sickle mouse lungs.

(A) Immunostaining of frozen thin sections prepared from the lungs of transgenic sickle mice and LPS-treated normal mice (18 hours after LPS injection) exhibit up-regulated VCAM, ICAM, and PECAM compared with normal lung controls. Immunostaining with nonspecific IgG gave minimal background staining. Frozen thin sections were prepared and stained using 3 mice from each model and controls. The figure shows one representative field from each mouse model and control. Magnification was × 40 for all figure panels. A 100-μm bar can be seen in the lower right panel, showing nonspecific IgG staining in the Berk-S lungs. (B) Immunofluorescence staining demonstrates VCAM (green) colocalization with von Willebrand factor (red) in the lungs of a NY-S mouse. Nuclei are counterstained (blue) with DAPI. Colocalized VCAM and von Willebrand factor appear yellow. Magnification was × 40. Colocalization was also seen using serial thin sections from lungs taken from other transgenic sickle mice (data not shown).