Platelets Guide Leukocytes to Their Sites of Extravasation
Fig 1
Endothelial cell interactions of platelets in the microvasculature.
Interactions of platelets (white) and endothelial cells (blue) were analyzed in the microvasculature of the inflamed cremaster muscle of CX3CR1GFP/+ mice by multichannel in vivo microscopy (A; scale bar 100 μm). Panels show results for intravascularly rolling and firmly adherent platelets in venules after 6 h of intrascrotal stimulation with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or CCL2 in dependency of the venular diameter (mean ± standard error of the mean [SEM] for n = 4 per group; #p < 0.05 versus PBS). Panel (B; scale bar: 10 μm) shows the relative localization of platelets (white), neutrophils (red), and iMOs (green) to PECAM-1/CD31-immunoreactive endothelial junctions (blue; mean ± SEM for n = 3 per group). Panel (C) shows the adhesion dynamics of platelets, neutrophils, and iMOs during the course of the acute inflammatory response (mean ± SEM for n = 3–4 per group).