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. 2008 Dec 5;3(12):e3871. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003871

Figure 1. Aetiopathology and morphological deterioration of NMJs are temporally correlated in DLS/LeJ mice.

Figure 1

A–D: Motility behaviour of healthy and dilute littermates was monitored from P9 to P19 using video analysis. A–B: Habitus of healthy and dilute littermates (indicated), at P14. Note light fur colour and convulsions in B. C: Quantification of unrestrained movement activity of healthy and dilute animals in a cage at the indicated ages. Columns, mean activity±s.e.m. (n = 6 and n = 3 healthy and dilute mice, respectively, from 3 different litters). D: Quantification of the fraction of observation time during which dilute animals showed clear signs of seizure at the indicated ages. Columns, mean±s.e.m. (P9, n = 5, P13, n = 4; P15, n = 5; P17, n = 3; P19, n = 3 mice from at least 3 different litters). E–K″: Tibialis anterior (TA), gastrocnemius (G), soleus (S) and peronaeus muscles were taken from healthy and dilute littermates on P7, P14 or P20, sliced longitudinally and stained with BGT-AF647 (E–G) or co-stained with BGT-AF647 and antibodies against synaptophysin or neurofilament M (H–K″). E–F: Maximum z-projections of confocal images of BGT-AF647 fluorescence signals. Scale bars, 50 µm. G: Quantification of NMJ areas. Graph, average reduction of NMJ sizes in TA, G and S muscles in dilute as compared to healthy (set to 100%) littermates. Columns, mean±s.e.m. (P7, n = 6; P14, n = 10 for TA, n = 5 for G; P20, n = 4; all n-values, number of animals). H–K″: Maximum z-projections of confocal images from P20 peronaeus muscles showing signals of BGT-AF647 (H–K), synaptophysin (H′, I′), neurofilament M (J′, K′) or the overlay of BGT-AF647 and immunostaining (red and green, respectively; H″–K″). Co-localising signals in H″–K″, yellow. Scale bar in K″, 50 µm.