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. 2015 Dec 14;6:10119. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10119

Figure 6. RCAN1 transgenic mice exhibit loss of sympathetic neurons and reduced sympathetic innervation of target tissues.

Figure 6

(a–c) Transgenic mice expressing three copies of RCAN1 (RCAN1 Tg) exhibit significant decreases in SCG size and cell numbers compared with litter-mate controls (WT) at P0.5. SCGs were visualized using TH immunohistochemistry and cell counts performed on Nissl-stained tissues. Values are the mean±s.e.m., n=5 mice each for wild-type and RCAN1 Tg mice. ***P<0.001. (d,e) Cleaved caspase-3 immunofluorescence shows enhanced apoptosis in P0.5 SCGs from RCAN1 Tg mice. (f) Quantification of percentage of SCG neurons that were immunoreactive for caspase-3. Values are the mean±s.e.m., n=5 mice for each genotype. *P<0.05. (g–l) TH immunostaining of sympathetic target tissues show substantial reductions in TH-positive sympathetic fibres within the nasal epithelium (g–i) and salivary glands (j–l) in RCAN1 Tg mice compared with litter-mate controls, at P0.5. For quantification of innervation density, the ratio of TH immunoreactivity to total image area was calculated from multiple images. The results are represented as a percentage of the mean for wild-type mice for nasal epithelium (i) and salivary glands (l). Values are the mean±s.e.m., n=3 mice for each genotype. *P<0.05, ***P<0.001. Statistical analyses by unpaired two-tailed Student's t-test. Scale bars, 100 μm.