Localization of vasculin and SSH6-β protein in the vascular wall. Cross-sections of an atherosclerotic plaque stained by immunohistochemistry. (A) Vasculin and/or SSH6-β is visualized in red (black arrows). (B,E) Combined immunohistochemical staining for vasculin and/or SSH6-β (red) and anti–smooth muscle actin demonstrating SMC (blue). Pronounced vasculin/SSH6-β signals are observed in neointimal SMC (black arrow), whereas vasculin/SSH6-β signals are minimal in medial SMCs (arrow with *). (C,F) Combined immunohistochemical staining of vasculin and/or SSH6-β with anti-CD68 (blue) demonstrates the presence of SSH6 gene products in monocytes/macrophages, as indicated by a black arrow. (D) Combined immunohistochemical staining of vasculin and/or SSH6-β with anti-CD31 (blue) shows vasculin/SSH6-β in endothelial cells. The black arrow indicates an endothelial cell expressing vasculin/SSH6-β. (D-F) Insets represent overview pictures with regions in D-F outlined by a ⋄. L indicates the lumen. Bars in panels A-C and the insets in D-F represent 100 μm; bars in D-F represent 10 μm.