Figure 1. Specific deletion of α6 integrin subunit in mouse nervous system. (A) DNA was obtained from brain of control and mutant mice at P0 and analyzed by PCR for Cre-mediated recombination. The 154 bp band corresponds to the α6-floxed allele (fl) and the 120 bp band to the wild type allele (+). A 1 kb band, indicating the α6-deleted allele, was present only in the α6fl/fl;nestin-Cre brain. Primers against Cre were used to confirm the presence of nestin-Cre transgene. (B) Western blot analysis for α6 integrin in P7 brains and cerebellum. The α6 protein was detected in control mice whereas, in the α6fl/fl;nestin-Cre mice where it was expressed in very low amounts. GAPDH was used as a loading control. (C) P17 telencephalon coronal and P21 cerebellum sagittal sections of control and α6fl/fl;nestin-Cre mice stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The arrows indicate a partial defect in the formation of fissures between lobules I/II-III and VI-VII in the α6fl/fl;nestin-Cre mice. St, striatum; Se, septum; NCx, neocortex. Scale bar, 200 μm.