Fig. 2: Increased microglial Cx43 correlates with Aβ pathology in AD mouse model. | Nature Communications

Fig. 2: Increased microglial Cx43 correlates with Aβ pathology in AD mouse model.

From: Connexin43 hemichannel blockade turns microglia neuroprotective and mitigates cognitive deficits in a mouse model of amyloidosis

Fig. 2

a Representative Cx43 and Aβ immunostaining in 9-month-old wild type (WT) and APP/PS1 mice, scale bar: 100 μm. Right: Quantification of Cx43 intensity in the hippocampus of WT and APP/PS1 mice at 2-, 4-, and 9-month-old. N = 5 mice. Statistical test: two-tailed t test. b Representative Cx43 and Aβ immunostaining in 4- and 9-month-old APP/PS1 mice, scale bar: 10 μm. Cx43 staining intensity at different distances from Aβ plaques (n = 20, 25) was quantified and compared to the area distal to the plaque (50–55 μm). Statistical test: two-tailed t test. c Representative super-resolution image of Cx43, IBA1, and Aβ staining in 4- and 9-month-old WT and APP/PS1 mice, accompanied by 3D reconstruction of Cx43 signal within IBA1+ volume. Scale bar: 10 μm. d Quantification of Cx43 + area within IBA1+ domain in WT and APP/PS1 mice. Cx43+ volume was normalized to the cell domain volume, display in percentage. N = 97, 92, 79, 79, 90, 95 cells, respectively, from 5 mice. Statistical test: one-way ANOVA. e Comparison of Cx43+ area within IBA1+ domain between periplaque and distal microglia. N = 40, 39, 61, 34 cells from 5 mice. Statistical test: one-way ANOVA. f Representative Ethidium bromide (EtBr) uptake by 9-month-old APP/PS1 acute brain slices and counterstained with IBA1. Cx43-specific channel blocker GAP26 and pan gap junction/hemichannel blocker CBX were added to 9-month-old APP/PS1 acute brain slices. Scale bar: 10 μm. g Quantification of EtBr dye intensity in dye uptake experiment on 2-, 4- and 9-month-old WT and APP/PS1 acute brain slices. For 2-month-old, N = 4 experiments; for 4-month-old, N = 5 experiments; for 9-month-old, N = 5 experiments (GAP26) or 10 experiments (other groups). Statistical test: two-tailed t test (2-month-old) or one-way ANOVA (4- and 9-month-old). Dot plots show mean ± SEM, each data point, and p-value. Box plots show minima, maxima, 25 ~ 75% percentile, medium, each data point, and p-value. Significance: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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