Figure 3.

Microtubule Depolymerization Normalized JPH-2 Levels and Localization and t-Tubule Morphology in mdx Mice

(A) Confocal micrographs of cardiac myocytes stained with an α-tubulin antibody to show the microtubule cytoskeleton. Colchicine depolymerized microtubule in vivo. (B) Representative Western blots and CBB-stained SDS-PAGE of extracts from mdx mice treated with either PBS or colchicine. (C) JPH-2 was upregulated 7.6-fold in mice treated with colchicine (p = 0.0007). (D) Representative confocal micrographs showing JPH-2 levels and localization. (E) Quantification of JPH-2 localization using TT_Power. JPH-2 localization improved with colchicine treatment (p = 0.04). N = 20 cells to 22 cells from 2 animals to 3 animals per treatment. (F) Representative images of t-tubules stained with wheat germ agglutinin from cardiac myocytes isolated from mdx treated with either PBS or colchicine. (G) Quantification of t-tubule organization using TT_Power. Colchicine resulted in a significant improvement in t-tubule organization (p = 0.02). N = 19 cells to 20 cells per treatment from 2 animals to 3 animals. An asterisk (*) indicates p ≤ 0.05 as determined using Student t test. Scale bar is 5 μm in all images. Values are presented as mean ± SEM. PBS = phosphate-buffered saline; other abbreviations as in Figure 1.