Figure 8

Cartilage localisation in unfused sutures. A-B) Serial H&E and Alcian blue stain of right unfused lambdoid suture (#83) showing cartilage (boxed regions expanded in panels E and F, respectively) on either side of suture mesenchyme (m). C) Alcian blue stain of left unfused lambdoid suture (#83) showing cartilage fronts (box) surrounding suture mesenchyme. D) Cartilage front from panel C (box) showing proliferating (stacked cells) and hypertrophic (cells with enlarged lacunae) chondrocytes in a cartilage (c) matrix. E-F) Enlarged views of boxed regions in A and B, respectively showing H&E (E) and Alcian blue (F) stain of right unfused lambdoid suture (#83) and highlighting cartilage interspersed with calcified bone (b, dark pink). Hematoxylin stains calcified matrix darker. G-H) Serial H&E (G) and Alcian blue (H) staining of an unfused coronal suture (#83) showing no staining of cartilage in (H). I-J) H&E (I) and confocal immunofluorescence for Collagen type X (J) detected weak localisation (orange) in hypertrophic chondrocytes (ch), with intense (yellow) punctate localisation in osteoclasts (multi-nucleated cells, arrowhead) adjacent to the cartilage matrix of unfused lambdoid sutures (#83). K) Collagen type X protein was not detected in osteogenic fronts of unfused coronal sutures (#83). Magnification: A-C, G-H: X3.2; D-F: X12.5; Scale: I-K: 10 μm.