Figure 2: Individual stereocilia in the shorter rows of bundles incorporate more actin. | Nature Communications

Figure 2: Individual stereocilia in the shorter rows of bundles incorporate more actin.

From: Length regulation of mechanosensitive stereocilia depends on very slow actin dynamics and filament-severing proteins

Figure 2

(a–i) Three examples of IHC stereocilia 20 weeks after β-actin-GFP expression was initiated. (a,d,g) Merged image of β-actin-GFP (green) and phalloidin (red); (b,e,h) phalloidin stain only; (c,f,i) β-actin-GFP only. Bundles showed varying levels of accumulation at the tips of the shorter row stereocilia (rows 2 and 3, arrowheads). In contrast, stereocilia in the tallest row (row 1, arrows) displayed very consistent levels of β-actin-GFP incorporation. (j) The fluorescence intensity of β-actin-GFP at the tips of row 2 and 3 stereocilia was compared with row 1 stereocilia at times 1–2 weeks, 20 weeks and 40 weeks after β-actin-GFP expression was initiated. Compared with row 1 stereocilia, row 2 and 3 stereocilia incorporated increased levels of β-actin-GFP with more variation between individual stereocilia. Fluorescence intensity was measured in at least 350 stereocilia per category from three or more mice. The mean is indicated with error bars representing s.d.; *P<0.01 and **P<0.001, analysis of variance. Scale bar, 5 μm.

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