Figure 3. Interference with Rab11 function causes behavioral and neuronal anomalies in vivo.
A, AAV expressing EGFP or HA-tagged Rab11S25N were unilaterally injected into the striatum and overlying cortex. Beam walking was tested at indicated dates post-injection as described in Materials and Methods. The time for mice to cross the beam was measured pre- and post-injection of virus. Data were graphed as the average increase in time at each post-injection period compared to pre-injection time (n=6, Mean±SD, Student t-test: * p<0.01). B, Shown are representative vibratome cut brain sections at the level of the striatum from two of the mice reported in (A). Brain slices were stained with anti-HA antibody or anti-GFP antibody using the immunoperoxidase method. Arrow points to the side injected with AAV-HARab11S25N or AAV-EGFP. C, Expression of HA Rab11S25N led to neuropathological changes. Shown are representative examples of neurons expressing HA-tagged Rab11S25N in the striatum and cortex that appear shrunken (arrowhead) or have a retracted proximal dendrite (arrow). Scale bar: 5μm.