Fig. 9

Serial tissue sections of IPF lungs (cases 1–3) were stained with (a, e, i, m) hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and (b, f, j, n) Elastica van Gieson stain (EVG). IHC of IPF lungs using (c, g, k, o) anti-CD248 antibody and (d, h, l, p) anti-ITGA8 antibody. In panels a–d, a lobule is located between two interlobular septa (IS). Note that fibrosis was predominant in the IS and subpleural area. (m–p) IHC of the fibroblastic foci of the IPF lung. Dotted eclipses indicate fibroblastic foci. Representative results are presented in all panels; scale bars, 250 μm (a–d), 50 μm (e–p). Quantitative analysis of CD248^high fibroblast-like cells and ITGA8^high fibroblast-like cells in collagen fiber-rich connective tissue (o), elastic fiber-rich connective tissue (p), and fibroblastic foci (q) in IPF lungs (n = 10), respectively (See Additional file 1: Figure S1). Because the number of the nuclei of other cells types such as pericytes, epithelial cells, and leukocytes were included in the total cell number, the percentage of CD248^high fibroblast-like cells + ITGA8^high fibroblast-like cells did not reach 100% in Fig. 9o–q. All experiments were performed in triplicate, and means ± standard deviations of the results obtained in three independent experiments are presented; **P < 0.01