Effects of shRNA-mediated kindlin-2 knockdown on neurons. A, B, Kindlin-2 knockdown significantly reduces the level of kindlin-2 in axons. Scale bar, 15 μm. C, D, Kindlin-2 knockdown decreases axon growth from cultured DRG neurons. Scale bar, 200 μm. E, F, Kindlin-2 knockdown impairs integrin signaling in the axons, as indicated by the lower level of pY397 FAK. Scale bar, 15 μm. G, H, Transgenic expression of kindlin-1 partially reverses the inhibitory effect of kindlin-2 knockdown on axon growth. Scale bar, 200 μm. Data are mean ± SEM and were analyzed with Student's t test. **p < 0.01; *p < 0.05.