Fig. 3

Origins of the cells exhibiting CD147 and MMP-2 expression in the uveal melanoma and retina. a Triple immunostainings for CD147, MMP-2, and the glial marker GFAP demonstrate the expression of the former two proteins in some astrocytes in the nerve fiber layer (NFL) and Müller cells (arrows) in the detached retina (R) above the tumor, whereas no GFAP positive cells were detected in the tumor (UM). b Triple immunostainings for CD147, MMP-2, and the endothelial marker CD34 demonstrate a strong expression of MMP-2 in some endothelial cells (arrows) in the detached retina (R). c Triple immunostainings for CD147, MMP-2 and the macrophage/fibroblast marker CD68 demonstrate the strong expression of CD147 in some microglia (arrows) in the detached retina (R). Some CD68-positive cells, which were likely to be tumor infiltrating macrophages, also exhibited a coexpression of CD147 and MMP-2 in the tumor (UM, arrows). ONL: Outer nuclear layer, INL: Inner nuclear layer. The negative (−) control was performed by the omission of all the three primary antibodies within a group. Scale bars: 25 μm