Fig. 5

More CD31-positive cells and hair follicles are formed in the dermis of early-stage TESSs. a, b PAS staining at 4 (a) and 8 (b) weeks, the red layer shows the location and clarity of the basement membrane zone (yellow arrows). c, d CD31-positive microvessels (black arrows) were widely distributed in newly formed tissues from early-stage TESSs, while the microvessels were scattered in tissues from TESS-14d and TESS-21d. e, f Quantification of CD31-positive microvessels per high-power field (× 400) in a light microscope from c for 4 and d for 8 weeks after transplantation. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.005 when two groups were compared as indicated; none of the other comparisons was significantly different (3 mice for each group, n = 3); bars = 50 μm. g–k Representative images of hair follicles (H&E staining, Ki-67, pan-ck, p63-vimentin, K10) in the skin formed from transplants TESS-5d at 8 weeks after grafting. The blue arrow in g indicates the dermal papilla, and the green arrow in g indicates a sebaceous gland. Ki-67 staining demonstrates an active hair matrix with highly proliferating cells (brown arrows in h); bars = 50 μm