Msx2 promotes cardiovascular calcification by activating paracrine Wnt signals
J. Clin. Invest. Jian-Su Shao, et al. 115:1210 doi:10.1172/JCI24140 [Go to this article.]

Figure 1
Enhanced cardiovascular calcification in CMV-Msx2Tg⁺ mice. Mice transgenic for Msx2 expression were generated as described in Methods. A total of 12 male siblings (6 CMV-Msx2Tg⁺, 6 nontransgenic, C57BL/6 background) were placed on high-fat diets for 4 months, sacrificed, and analyzed for cardiovascular calcification by alizarin red histochemistry. Five of 6 CMV-Msx2Tg⁺ mice exhibited cardiovascular calcium deposition (A), while none of the nontransgenic wild-type siblings were significantly afflicted (B). Note the pronounced calcium staining in the tunica media of the left coronary artery (LCA) and aorta, the right ventricular myocardium, and the pulmonary outflow tract. Magnification, ×100. (C) CMV-Msx2Tg⁺. Higher-power magnification of panel A, ×400. Note marked calcification associated with cells of the tunica media (arrows) and the occasional much weaker and diffuse staining in the adventitia (arrowhead).