Fig. 4: Taok2 deficiency decreases the speed of migrating neurons.

a Cell morphology of migrating neurons in the CP of the developing cortex after expressing control shRNA or Taok2 shRNA. b Cell body morphology is transiently changed after Taok2 downregulation in migrating neurons in the CP. More round cells were found in E18 cortices after Taok2 downregulation (p < 0.0001, two-way ANOVA, post hoc Dunnett’s test *p < 0.05; control = 41 cells (E18) and 49 cells (E19), Taok2 shRNA = 29 cells (E18) and 39 cells (E19) for at least 3 brains per condition; values are the mean ± s.e.m.). c Quantification of soma length/width ratio of migrating neurons in the CP at E18 and E19, which were transfected in utero at E15 (p = 0.0340, two-way ANOVA, post hoc Tukey’s test *p < 0.05; control = 38 cells (E18) and 48 cells (E19), Taok2 shRNA = 28 cells (E18) and 37 cells (E19) for at least 3 brains per condition; values are the mean ± s.e.m.). d Quantification of the leading process width of migrating neurons in the CP at E18 and E19, which were transfected in utero at E15 (p < 0.0001, two-way ANOVA, post hoc Tukey’s test *p < 0.05 and ***p < 0.001; control = 22 cells (E18) and 40 cells (E19), Taok2 shRNA = 21 cells (E18) and 32 cells (E19) for at least 3 brains per condition; values are the mean ± s.e.m.). e Time-lapse analysis of migrating neurons in the CP of control shRNA- and Taok2 shRNA-transfected cells (red arrowheads). Right panel: three stacks superimposed (each color represents a different time point) show impaired speed of neuronal migration after acute Taok2 downregulation. f Quantification of neuronal migration speed in the developing cortex after Taok2 downregulation (****p < 0.0001 by t-test; control = 13 cells, Taok2 shRNA = 16 cells from slices of at least 3 brains per condition; values are the mean ± s.e.m.). g Time-lapse analysis of migrating neurons in the CP of WT and KO transfected cells (red arrowheads). Right panel: three stacks superimposed (each color represents a different time point) show impaired speed of neuronal migration in KO cells compared with WT-transfected cells. h Quantification of neuronal migration speed in the developing cortex of WT and KO animals (p < 0.0001 by one-way ANOVA; post hoc Tukey’s test ****p < 0.0001, WT = 5 brains, Het = 5, KO = 3 brains; values are mean ± s.e.m. WT = 30 cells, Het = 30 cells, KO = 30 cells from slices of different brains as indicated per condition; values are mean ± s.e.m.). Scale bar: 10 μm.