Modeling Activity and Target-Dependent Developmental Cell Death of Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells Ex Vivo
Figure 5
Blockade of electrical activity limits the reduction in the number of Brn3a-expressing cells.
(A) TTX treatment prevents the retinotopic organization of axonal arbors ex vivo. Temporal axons arborize in the rostral SC in control conditions. In contrast, electrical activity blockade with TTX abolishes the preference of axons from the temporal retina for the anterior SC as described in [19]. Grey circles symbolize Brn3a-positive RGCs and their density is representative of the number of Brn3a-labeled cells in each condition. (B) Incubation of retino-collicular co-cultures in the sodium channel blocker TTX increases the number of Brn3a-immunoreactive cells in retinal explants at DIV12. (C) TTX treatment causes a ∼64% increase in the number of Brn3a-expressing cells at DIV12. Error bar, s.e.m.; Scale bar 200 µm; n≥22 cultures per condition; *** p<0.001, ANOVA.