Interleukin-34 deficiency aggravates development of colitis and colitis-associated cancer in mice

Figure 4 Interleukin-34 deficiency inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of colonic epithelium in dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis. A: Representative photomicrographs of Ki-67 immunohistochemical staining for colon sections of IL-34^-/- and WT mice treated with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS); B: Percentage of proliferation marker Ki-67 per crypt; C and D: Representative microscopic pictures of TUNEL staining (C) and quantification of TUNEL-positive cells per field (D) in IL-34^-/- and WT mice treated with DSS as before; E: mRNA expression of three receptors for IL-34 (CSF1R, ptprz1 and syndecan-1) was detected in IL-34^-/- and WT mice treated with DSS (n = 6 or 7 per group); F and G: Representative photomicrographs of CSF1R immunohistochemical staining (F) and percentage of CSF1R-positive cells (G) in colon sections of IL-34^-/- and WT mice treated with 3% DSS. CSF1R: Colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor; DSS: Dextran sodium sulfate; IL-34: Interleukin-34; WT: Wild-type. Scale bars = 100 μm. Data depict mean ± SD. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, ^cP < 0.005.