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. 2015 May 15;4:e06500. doi: 10.7554/eLife.06500

Figure 2. Membralin transgene [Tg (membralin)] rescues GluN3B/membralin (DKO) mice.

(A) Generation of the transgenic constructs expressing membralin. The murine prion promoter was cloned with full-length mouse membralin cDNA followed by the IRES and the EGFP sequence. The entire transgenic sequence was isolated by enzymatic digestion and used to generate Tg (membralin) mice. (B) DKO/Tg (membralin) mice were viable and fertile. Left: genotyping by PCR showed that 3 littermates (#3, 4 and 5) from a breeding of DKO and Tg (membralin) mice were positive to DKO primers and negative to WT primers (same primers used as in Figure 1). Of the three DKO mice, the two receiving membralin transgene (#3 and 5, as positively identified by GFP primers) were rescued. Right: Weight of the 7 littermates was monitored after birth. Only DKO mouse #4, which was negative for the membralin transgene, showed weight loss after P3 and died at P5.5. Data shown here are from one representative litter (5 independent litters were analyzed with similar results). (C) Gene expression analysis by RT-PCR for mice #1, 3, 4 of the same litter as in B. Membralin transgene expression is seen in the brains of littermates #1 and 3, but not 4, whereas GluN3B is only expressed in #1. Membralin and GluN3B are not expressed in muscle samples. GAPDH is expressed in both brain and muscles of all mice and served as a positive control. (D) Rescued DKO/Tg (membralin) mice lived to adulthood without any sign of paresis.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06500.008

Figure 2.

Figure 2—figure supplement 1. Expression of GFP-membralin transgene in spinal cord of membralin transgenic mice.

Figure 2—figure supplement 1.

GFP immunostaining shows expression of membralin-GFP transgene in all spinal cord layers of membralin (MEM) KO and transgenic (Tg) mice (left), but not WT mice (right). GFP immunostaining was located predominantly in neurons, including motor neurons (arrows). Images at low (top) and high (bottom) magnification are shown from the lumbar spinal cord at P5.
Figure 2—figure supplement 2. GluN3B transgene cannot rescue GluN3B/membralin DKO mice.

Figure 2—figure supplement 2.

(A) DNA construct used for generating GluN3B transgenic [Tg (GluN3B)] mice containing the 7 kb murine GluN3B promoter followed by murine full-length coding region for GluN3B, IRES, and GFP. (B) Stronger immunocytochemical signal for GluN3B signal in motor neurons of lumbar spinal cord of Tg (GluN3B) mice compared to WT mice. (C) Tg (GluN3B) cannot rescue DKO mice. Left: PCR genotyping shows one mouse (#3) among five from a DKO x Tg (GluN3B) litter was positive for DKO and GFP primers, but negative for WT primers (same primers as used in Figure 1). Right: weight of the 5 littermates was monitored after birth, and DKO mouse #3, which contained the GluN3B transgene, lost weight, and died at P6.