Extended Data Fig. 3: Evaluating astrocyte morphology in the hippocampus CA1 using multiple morphological metrics.
a, To assess the morphological characteristics of astrocytes, we retro-orbitally injected WT or γC3 KO mice with AAVs expressing Lck-smV5, Lck-smMyc, and Lck-GFP under the control of the astrocyte-specific GfaABC1D promoter. The mice were harvested at P21 and subjected to immunostaining with anti-Myc, anti-V5, and anti-GFP antibodies. Roundness: Measures how closely the shape’s minor and major axes resemble a perfect circle. Circularity: Quantifies how similar the object’s area and perimeter are to a perfect circle. b, Representative images of single astrocytes, flattened in a confocal volume, obtained from the CA1 hippocampus of both WT and γC3 KO mice. Representative images were obtained from three mice. c, The results are summarized in plots representing various morphological parameters. Two-sided unpaired t-tests with Welch’s correction was used to compare WT and γC3KO groups. Apparent cell volume: WT, n = 19 astrocytes from three mice; γC3 KO, n = 19 astrocytes from three mice. Feret max, Feret min, aspect ratio, territory size, roundness, and circularity: WT, n = 30 astrocytes from three mice; γC3 KO, n = 24 astrocytes from three mice. Error bars, s.e.m. Scale bars, 10 µm. **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001. Nested analysis was performed for all statistical comparisons to confirm the results, and details are provided in Supplementary Table 4.
