Figure 9.

Dclk1 knockdown rescues α-Syn-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity. A, Diagram of the experiment. WT mice were injected in the SNc with AAVs carrying SNCA or empty vector and shLuciferase or shDclk1. Two months later, the tissues were harvested to measure the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and the striatal fibers. B, Representative images taken at 20×. SNc TH staining for dopaminergic neurons of ipsilateral sections injected with shLuciferase + empty vector, shDclk1 + empty vector, shLuciferase + SNCA, or shDclk1 + SNCA compared with the corresponding contralateral uninjected sections. C, Representative images of striatal (TH-positive) fibers from the same animals taken at 20×. D, Stereological counts of dopaminergic neurons (TH-positive) in the SNc of ipsilateral sections injected with either shLuciferase + empty vector, shDclk1 + empty vector, shLuciferase + SNCA, or shDclk1 + SNCA compared with the corresponding contralateral uninjected sections (and each other). Each data point represents a single animal (F = 6.584, p < 0.0001). E, Densitometric measurement of TH fibers in the striatum from the same animals. Each data point represents a single animal (F = 4.303, p = 0.0013). Error bars indicate SEM. One-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett's multiple-comparisons test: NS ≥ 0.05; ***p ≤ 0.001; ****p ≤ 0.0001.