Fig. 5.

Identification and time-lapse imaging of spiny axons in cerebellar slice cultures prepared from L7-EGFP/ankG^−/− mice. (A–C) EGFP-positive spiny PC axon identified in a cerebellar slice culture (DIV10) of an L7-EGFP/ankG^−/− mouse. The spiny appearance of this process (arrowheads) closely resembles that of axons found in cerebellar brain sections of ankG^−/− mice (see Fig. 1). (D–I) Confocal time-lapse imaging of a cerebellar slice culture reveals the conversion of a nonspiny into a spiny axon. At DIV13, the selected axon is largely devoid of spines except for a single protrusion (arrowhead). Between DIV13 (D) and DIV15 (E) the conversion into a spiny axon occurs. This conversion into an axo-dendritic hybrid is accompanied by an enlargement of the axonal diameter. (Scale bars: A and D–F, 20 μm; B, 10 μm; C and G–I, 5 μm.)