Expression and epidermis-specific deletion of neuropilin 1 in mice.

Abstract

<p>Immunofluorescent staining for NRP1 in cryosections of normal human skin (A) or skin from 8 weeks old mice (B) shows protein expression in all layers of the epidermis, with a tendency towards stronger staining in the suprabasal layers (green fluorescence, nuclear stain in red with propidium iodide). For conditional keratinocyte-specific ablation of NRP1 expression, Keratin 14-Cre mice were crossed with mice homozygous for a mutated NRP1 gene containing loxP sites flanking the exon 2 (C). Genotyping of animals was performed by PCR (D). Keratinocytes isolated from newborn mice were checked by quantitative real time PCR for NRP1 mRNA levels (E). Additionally, NRP1 expression in the epidermis was assessed by immunofluorescent staining and demonstrated absence of detectable NRP1 protein in the epidermis of NRP1epi−/− mice (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050944#pone-0050944-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1 F, G</a>, green fluorescence, the broken line reflects the epidermal basement membrane).</p