Figure 1.

c-Maf is expressed in subsets of deep dorsal horn interneurons

(A) c-Maf expression in the dorsal spinal cord and schematic representation of the generation of the c-Maf^Cre allele.

(B) Double in situ hybridization showing the overlap between c-Maf and Cre mRNAs in the c-Maf^Cre mouse spinal cord.

(C) Quantification of (B) (n = 3, 605 neurons).

(D) Triple in situ hybridization showing overlap between c-Maf-, VGlut2-, and PV-expressing neurons.

(E) Triple in situ hybridization showing overlap between Cre⁺ (c-Maf)-, CCK-, and RORα-expressing neurons.

(F) Quantification of the co-expression of c-Maf, Pax2, and PKCγ proteins as depicted in (A) (n = 4, 1,293 c-Maf⁺ neurons).

(G) Quantification of the proportion of c-Maf neurons expressing other markers of deep dorsal horn neurons (VGlut2: n = 4, 1,045 c-Maf⁺ neurons; CCK: n = 4, 848 c-Maf⁺ neurons; RORα: n = 3, 317 c-Maf⁺ neurons; CR: n = 3, 302 c-Maf⁺ neurons; PV: n = 4, 878 c-Maf⁺ neurons; vGAT: n = 4, 878 c-Maf⁺ neurons; Glyt2: n = 3, 302 c-Maf⁺ neurons). Magenta bars represent genes exclusively/predominantly expressed in excitatory neurons, while green bars represent co-expression with inhibitory marker genes.

(H) Quantification of the proportion of CCK⁺, PV⁺RORα⁺, and CR⁺ neurons expressing c-Maf (n = 4, 1,362 CCK⁺ and 513 PV⁺ neurons; n = 3, 734 CR⁺ and 454 RORα⁺ neurons).

(I) Co-labeling of GFP, Pax2, and c-Maf in the dorsal spinal cord of CCK^GFP (CCK^Cre;ROSA26^fls-NuTRAP) animals. Arrows indicate excitatory c-Maf neurons (c-Maf⁺;Pax2⁻) co-expressing GFP.

(J) Quantification of (I) (n = 3, 309 neurons). Note that the vast majority of excitatory c-Maf neurons (c-Maf⁺;Pax2⁻) co-express GFP while only one-third of the CCK^GFP neurons co-express c-Maf.

Error bars denote ±SEM. Scale bars, 100 μm (A and I) and 20 μm (B, D, and E).