A MusD Retrotransposon Insertion in the Mouse Slc6a5 Gene Causes Alterations in Neuromuscular Junction Maturation and Behavioral Phenotypes
Figure 3
Neuromuscular junction phenotypes.
A. Representative pictures of P7 NMJs in WT (left) and mutant (right) triangularis sterni muscles. The axons are labeled by the Thy1-YFP16 transgene (green) and the acetylcholine receptor plaques by fluorescent alpha-bungarotoxin (red). NMJs innervated by more than one axon terminal (arrowheads) are more abundant in the WT than in the mutant. B. Time course of the synapse elimination. The curves represent the average percentage of polyinnervated NMJs in wild-type (gray) and mutant (black) triangularis sterni muscles at ages P3 to P12. a: Wilcoxon signed-rank paired test, p = 0.09. The bars represent the average percentage of polyinnervated NMJs in the P3-P5 and P6-P9 age groups. * : Mann-Whitney test, p<0.05. Error bars represent the SEM. C. Schematic representation of the molecular switch from gamma to epsilon AChR subunits in the muscle pentameric acetylcholine receptor, also indicating the constitutive subunits alpha, beta and delta. D. Quantification of the fold-change of AChR subunits alpha, gamma and epsilon, and myogenin, in P5 and two week old synaptic regions of the mutant diaphragm, expressed as a ratio to age-matched WT values ( = 1.0). Biological replicates: 5 for P5, 7 for two week. Error bars represent the confidence interval. * : Mann-Whitney test, p<0.05.