Fig. 2

Efferocytosis-related gene changes and MERTK expression in the damaged cortex following CCI injury. A–F Relative mRNA expression of Mertk (A), Gas6 (B), Pros1 (C), S1pr1 (D), Cx3cr1 (E), and Axl (F) in the ipsilateral cortex of CCI-injured wild type mice at 1, 3, and 7 dpi. G–O Representative confocal images for MERTK expression in the wild-type Cx3cr1^{EYFP−CreER/+} mice at 3 dpi. G 2 × 2 tile confocal images for the ipsilateral cortex showing MERTK (purple), Cx3cr1 (green), and IBA1 (red) expression. MERTK is upregulated and co-localized with Cx3cr1 and IBA1 in the ipsilateral cortex (H–K). MERTK expression is low in Cx3cr1 + IBA1 + cells in the contralateral cortex (L–O). P–Z MERTK expression in microglia and PDM in the ipsilateral cortex of CCI-injured GFP⁺ bone marrow chimeric wild type (WT^+WTBMCs) mice. MERTK (red) is upregulated in GFP⁻ IBA1⁺ microglia at 1dpi (P, S–V) and 3dpi (Q, W–Z) and in GFP⁺IBA1⁺ PDM at 3 dpi (Q, W–Z). R The total number of MERTK⁺GFP⁻IBA1⁺ microglia and MERTK⁺GFP⁺IBA1⁺ PDM was counted in the ipsilateral cortex at 1- and 3- dpi using the optical fractionator probe function of Stereoinvestigator. N = 5–6 mice/group. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. Two-way ANOVA followed by Šídák’s multiple comparisons test. Scale bar = 200 µm in G, 50 µm in H–Q and 10 µm in S–Z