Figure 4.

SNAP-25 KD aggravates neurodegeneration. (A–F) Effect of SNAP-25 KD on neurodegeneration was assessed in WT, heterozygous (CSPα^+/−), and homozygous CSPα KO (CSP^−/−) mouse brains. Stereotactic injections of lentiviruses at P1 in WT, CSPα^+/−, and CSP^−/− mouse cortex were used to express mCherry as a control, or SNAP-25 shRNA with mCherry (SNAP-25^KD/mCherry). (A, D) At P50, neuron density in the infected areas was quantitated by immunostaining for NeuN (green), and visualizing DAPI (blue) and mCherry (red). (B, E) Synapse density in the infected areas was quantitated by immunostaining for PSD95 (green), and visualizing DAPI (blue) and mCherry (red). (C, F) Apoptosis in the infected areas was quantitated by immunostaining for cleaved caspase-3 (Casp-3^CL; green), and visualizing DAPI (blue) and mCherry (red). See Supplementary Figure S4B, D, and H for individual images. Data are shown as mean values±s.e.m.; n=3 mice, 10 sections for each; NS, not significant (P>0.05); ^*P<0.05; ^**P<0.01; ^***P<0.001 (using Student’s t-test, comparing each test condition to the control analysed in the same experiment).