Figure 5.

UCHL1 is required for the maintenance of NMJ in different muscle groups. (A) A schematic drawing of the hindlimb depicting the location of soleus and EDL muscles. (B) Schematic drawing of the cross section of the hindlimb depicting the relative location of soleus and EDL to other different muscle groups and bones fibula and tibia. (C) Representative images of NMJ from the EDL muscle of WT (3 left panels) and UCHL1−/− mice (6 right panels) at P100. SMN axons are visualized by NF‐H (green) and postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors are visualized by α‐BTX (red). WT NMJ are intact with overlapping green and red signal, whereas the NMJ in UCHL1−/− mice display many different examples of denervation and disintegration. (D) Representative images of NMJ from the soleus muscle of WT (3 left panels) and UCHL1−/− mice (6 right panels) at P100. SMN axons are visualized by NF‐H (green) and postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors are visualized by α‐BTX (red). WT NMJ are intact, whereas the NMJ in UCHL1−/− mice display many different examples of denervation and disintegration. (E) Bar graph representation of percent distribution of fully innervated NMJ in the EDL muscle of WT and UCHL1−/− mice at P40 and P100. (F) Bar graph representation of percent distribution of healthy NMJ in the EDL muscle of WT and UCHL1−/− mice at P40 and P100. (G) Bar graph representation of percent distribution of fully innervated NMJ in the soleus muscle of WT and UCHL1−/− mice at P40 and P100. (H) Bar graph representation of percent distribution of healthy NMJ in the soleus muscle of WT and UCHL1−/− mice at P40 and P100. Scale bar = 20 μm. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. BTX, bungarotoxin; EDL, extensor digitorum longus.