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. 2014 Nov 13;10(11):e1004715. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004715

Figure 2. Axon pathology of the touch neurons in the gm379 mutant.

Figure 2

(A-B) Touch neurons in live animals were visualized with zdIs5(Pmec-4::GFP). Asterisks, ALM soma. Scale bar  = 5 µm or 2 µm (insets). (A) ALM processes in the mutant appeared beaded at L2 and developed triangular-shaped swelling at L4 to adult. Anterior is to the left. (B) Mitochondria, labeled with Pmec-7::mito::mCherry, often accumulated at axon swellings. (C) Snapshots of PLM neurite during muscle contraction from a gm379 mutant partially immobilized with microbeads. Arrows and asterisks are buckling and neurite swellings, respectively, that changed their morphology during muscle contraction. Muscles contracted between t  = 2 second and t  = 5 second. (D) ALM neurites of the gm379 or the unc-54; gm379 mutants. (E) Quantification (mean ± S.E.M.) of neurite swellings for single ALM or PLM neurons. Age of the animals was indicated as days in adulthood. *, p≤0.01, **, p<0.0001, Mann-Whitney U test. (F) Longitudinal images of a single ALM neuron from L2 to middle adulthood. Arrows marked the same site over time. The animal died at day 10. Scale bar  = 5 µm. Asterisks, ALM soma. (G) ALM neurites of the wild type, gm379 and the unc-54; gm379 mutants at day 16. Asterisks are ALM soma. Arrows mark neurite breaks and degeneration. (H) Quantification (mean ± S.E.M.) of neurodegeneration. *, p<0.05, **, p<0.0001, Fisher's exact test.