Fig. 7
Dispensability of aSyn for PD-like inclusion formation and neurodegeneration linked to NM accumulation. a Schematic representation of the site of AAV-hTyr unilateral stereotaxic injection above the SNpc of aSyn knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. b Top, representative photomicrographs of NM-laden neurons in hematoxylin-eosin (H&E)-stained ipsilateral SNpc brain sections from AAV-hTyr-injected aSyn KO and WT mice at 6 m post-AAV injection. Scale bar, 12.5 μm. Bottom, quantification of intracellular NM optical density in ipsilateral SNpc DA neurons of AAV-hTyr-injected aSyn KO and WT mice. p = 0.879 (two-tailed t-test). c Top, ipsilateral SNpc sections from AAV-hTyr-injected aSyn KO and WT mice exhibiting NM-laden neurons with p62-positive (red) PB (arrowhead) and LB-like inclusions (arrow) at 2 m post-AAV injection. aSyn immunofluorescence is shown in green. Scale bar, 12.5 μm. Bottom, quantification of NM-laden neurons with p62-positive PB or LB-like inclusions in AAV-hTyr-injected aSyn KO and WT mice at 2 m post-AAV injection. p = 0.866 (two-way ANOVA). d Top, optical densitometry of striatal TH-positive fibers in AAV-hTyr-injected aSyn KO and WT mice at 6 m post-AAV injection. *p < 0.05, compared to respective contralateral (non-injected) side (two-way ANOVA; Student–Newman–Keuls post-hoc test). Bottom, stereological cell counts of SNpc TH-positive neurons in AAV-hTyr-injected aSyn KO and WT mice at 6 m post-AAV injection. *p < 0.05, compared to respective contralateral (non-injected) side (two-way ANOVA; Student–Newman–Keuls post-hoc test). In all panels, values are mean ± SEM. In b, n = 76 neurons from n = 4 mice (WT), n = 112 neurons from n = 4 mice (aSyn KO). In c, n = 3 (WT), n = 4 (aSyn KO) mice. In d (top), n = 9 (WT), n = 5 (aSyn KO) mice. In d (bottom), n = 8 (WT), n = 6 (aSyn KO) mice. BF bright-field. In all panels, unstained NM appears as brown. Photomicrographs correspond to 5-μm-thick sections
