Fig. 2

(A-L) 20x-magnification cross-sectional images of lesioned spinal cords in the Shh- and Control group 3- and 7-days post injury (dpi) stained for TMEM119 (red; A-D) and Iba-1 (green; E-H), along with composite images (I-L; scale bar: 150 μm). (M-P) The corresponding 10x-magnification 4 × 4 tile-scans are presented as composite images, with the overlying inlets (A-L) depicted in red (scale bar: 500 μm). (Q) TMEM119 is expressed by intramedullary resident microglia, while blood-borne immune cells lack TMEM119 expression. Therefore, subtracting TMEM119+ cells from the total Iba-1+ macrophage population enables the identification of infiltrating macrophages. Shh-treated animals (n = 5) exhibited a significantly lower number of Iba-1+/TMEM119− infiltrating immune cells compared to untreated controls (n = 6) at 7 dpi (p = 0.0027). (R) Additionally, fewer TMEM119+ resident microglia were observed in the Shh group (n = 5) compared to the Control group (n = 6) at 7 dpi (p < 0.01). Data are presented as mean ± SEM cells/mm². Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey-HSD tests (**p < 0.01)