Upregulation of cathepsin W-expressing T cells is specific for autoimmune atrophic gastritis compared to other types of chronic gastritis

Figure 3 Detection of CatW and CD3⁺ T cells in tissue specimens of AIG. The immunohistochemical double staining allowed a differentiation of both CatW-expressing cell types as well as a separation of CTLs from the other T cells (T-Ly) among the infiltrating cells of the lamina propria: Whereas CatW^–/CD3⁺ positive T cells could be clearly distinguished by the brownish staining and were abundantly seen in the samples of AIG, an additional cytoplasmic red staining detected the CatW-expressing CTL. The exclusively red staining marked the CatW⁺ NK cells, which were only rarely spotted in the lamina propria.