Figure 9.

Cx30 controls the activity-dependent remodeling of distal astroglial processes independently of GJ-mediated biochemical coupling. (A) Schematic representation of Sholl analysis for intersection quantification in a GFAP-labeled astrocyte from the hippocampal CA1 area. Scale bar, 10 μm. (B) Quantification of the branching pattern of CA1 hippocampal astrocytes normalized to control condition in acute slices treated by 0Mg-P (100 μM, 3 h) from wild-type (n = 21), Cx30T5M (n = 14), and Cx30^−/− (n = 17) mice. Neuronal bursting increased GFAP branching within almost all concentric radii between 18 and 28 μm in wild-type astrocytes, while this activity-dependent remodeling of astroglial distal processes was inhibited Cx30^−/− mice but not in Cx30T5M mice. Asterisks indicate statistical significance (^***P < 0.001).