Fig. 6.

Ebf1 cKO have specific impairments in dSPN functioning. a–g tdTomato⁺ labeling in dSPN cell bodies of Islet1^Cre;Ebf1^fl/−;R26^mt/+ mice is relatively preserved at early postnatal stages (a, b) but severely altered at later stages (c–f), as quantified in g; at P5, the percentage of DsRed + cells on the Hoechst nuclei is 38 ± 2% in Control striata, 33 ± 3% in Islet1^Cre;Ebf1^fl/− (p = 0.16). At P45, Control: 34 ± 1%, Islet1^Cre;Ebf1^fl/− 16 ± 3% (p = 0.002). n = 3 mice for each condition. Results are presented as mean values ± s.e.m. h–j Patch-clamp recordings of dSPN in acute slices obtained from control (33 cells) and Islet1^Cre;Ebf1^fl/−;R26^mt/+ (20 cells) adult mice highlight a drastic decrease of mEPSC frequency in mutants (sample tracks in g–h, quantification of mEPSC in i). k–m Conversely, iSPN recorded in controls (27 cells) and Islet1^Cre;Ebf1^fl/−;R26^mt/+ (14 cells) slices show no relevant differences in mEPSC amplitude and frequency. mEPSC amplitudes could not be quantified in mutant dSPN because of the extremely low number of events recorded. Results are presented as mean values ± s.e.m. n, o Adult Islet1^Cre;Ebf1^fl/− mice show no motor response to D1R agonist SKF38393 injections (n), whereas the D2R agonist quinpirole induces depression of locomotion similarly to control mice (o). This is shown by comparing the total distance traveled in 10 min in the open field before (Bef.) and 40 min after (Aft.) drug injections (n_control = 8 and n_cKO = 7). Results are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Two-tailed non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test was used for statistical comparison. * indicates p-value < 0.05, ***p-value < 0.0001. Scale bars equal 20 μm (a, b, e, f), 100 μm (c, d), and 40 μm (g–k), respectively