Primary antibodies used in the study.

<p>Primary antibodies used in the study.</p

VE-cadherin is expressed in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in rats and humans.

<p>(A) Immunofluorescent co-staining of human liver cryosections with anti-VE-cadherin (green) and anti-CD32b (red) antibodies. (B) Immunofluorescent co-staining of rat liver cryosections with anti-VE-cadherin (green) and anti-LYVE-1 (red) antibodies. (C) Immunofluorescent co-staining of isolated rat LSECs with anti-VE-cadherin (green) and anti-Stabilin-2 (red) antibodies. Toto3 (blue) was used to counterstain the cell nuclei. Images were acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Bars 11.9 µm (A, B), 14.14 µm (C). (D) Reverse transcriptase-PCR with mRNA isolated from rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 cell line (1), freshly isolated rat LMECs (2), and freshly isolated rat LSECs (3). Primers specific for VE-cadherin or β-actin were used.</p

Primers used in the study.

<p>Primers used in the study.</p

Immunoflurescent and qRT-PCR analysis of occludin and claudin-5 expression in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.

<p>(A, C) Immunofluorescent co-staining of rat liver cryosections with anti-Occludin (A, green), anti-Claudin-5 (C, green), and anti-LYVE-1 (A, C, blue) antibodies. (E) Immunofluorescent staining of a liver sample obtained from the patient 2 with anti-Occludin (green) antibody; BD – bile ducts, S – liver sinusoids. (F, G) Immunofluorescent co-staining of liver samples obtained from the patients 6 (F) and 4 (G) with anti-VE-cadherin (F, G, green), anti-CD32b (F, G, red), and anti-Occludin (F, G, blue) antibodies. Images were acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Bars 11.9 µm (A, C), 47.62 µm (E, F), 14.14 µm (G). (B, D) Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR with mRNA isolated from rat LSECs and rat LMECs (n indicates the number of samples analyzed, error bars represent SEM). Primers specific for Occludin (B), Claudin-5 (D), and β-Actin as normalizer were used.</p

ZO-1 and ZO-2 localize to VE-cadherin-containing cell-cell junctions in rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.

<p>(A, B) Immunofluorescent co-staining of rat liver cryosections with anti-ZO-1 (A, green), anti-ZO-2 (B, green), anti-VE-cadherin (A, B, red), and anti-Stabilin-2 (A, B, blue) antibodies. Images were acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Bars 11.9 µm.</p

Human patients involved in the study.

<p>Human patients involved in the study.</p

E- and N-cadherin are absent in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.

<p>(A, B) Immunofluorescent co-staining of rat liver cryosections with anti-E-cadherin (A, green) or anti-N-cadherin (B, green) and anti-LYVE-1 (A, B, red) antibodies. (C, D) Immunofluorescent co-staining of human liver cryosections with anti-E-cadherin (C, green) or anti-N-cadherin (D, green) and anti-VE-cadherin (C, D, red) antibodies. Images were acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Bars 14.14 µm (A, B, D), 11.9 µm (C). (E) Reverse transcriptase-PCR with mRNA of freshly isolated rat LSECs. Primers specific for VE-cadherin (1), E-cadherin (2), N-cadherin (3) or β-actin (4) were used.</p

α-catenin, β-catenin, p120-catenin, and plakoglobin co-localize with VE-cadherin in rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.

<p>(A-D) Immunofluorescent co-staining of rat liver cryosections with anti-α-Catenin (A, green), anti-β-Catenin (B, green), anti-p120-Catenin (C, green), anti-Plakoglobin (D, green), anti-VE -cadherin (A-D, red), anti-Stabilin-2 (A, blue), and anti-LYVE-1 (B-D, blue) antibodies. Images were acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Bars 11.9 µm.</p

α-Catenin and β-Catenin co-localize with VE-cadherin in human LSECs.

<p>Immunofluorescent co-staining of human liver cryosections with anti-VE-cadherin (A, B, green), anti-α-Catenin (A, red), and anti-β-catenin (B, red) antibodies. Images were acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Bars 11.9 µm.</p

Expression of JAM-family members in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.

<p>(A) Immunofluorescent co-staining of rat liver cryosections with anti-JAM-A (green), anti-VE-cadherin (red), and anti-Stabilin-2 (blue) antibodies. (B) Immunofluorescent co-staining of human liver cryosections with anti-JAM-A (green), anti-CD32b (red), and anti-Stabilin-2 (blue) antibodies. Images were acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Bars 11.9 µm. (C) Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR with mRNA isolated from rat LSECs and rat LMECs (n indicates the number of samples analyzed, error bars represent SEM). Primers specific for JAM-A, JAM-B, JAM-C, and β-Actin as normalizer were used.</p