Figure 4: Mouse heart-derived NG2-expressing cells (heart-NG2+cells) express myofibronic markers in response to insult signals. Mouse hearts from two C57Bl/6J mice (> 8 wks) were used to obtain NG2+cells. The rest of procedures to isolate NG2+cells were performed as described above. The prepared NG2+cells were cultured in the presence of heart homogenates derived from atherosclerosis mice fed with high cholesterol food. Representative images show that mouse heart-derived NG2-expressing cells expressed myofibronic markers when cultured in the presence of heart homogenates derived from atherosclerosis mice fed with high cholesterol food (insult signals).