Figure 5
Ago2 knockdown minimally impacts skeletal muscle fiber health in young adult mice. Ago2fl/fl mice received control-eGFP or Cre AAVs to contralateral TAs at P17. (a–h) Histological analysis of TAs performed at 3 months post-infection. (a) Mean muscle fiber size, assessed by measurement of minimum Feret’s diameter (MFD) of muscle fiber cross sections identified by laminin IHC. (b) Distribution of TA muscle fiber sizes. (c,d) Representative images of laminin (red) IHC of TA muscle cross sections collected from control (c) and Ago2 KD (d) legs. Arrows indicate areas of thickened interstitial space with nuclei. (e) Percentage of muscle fibers with centrally located nuclei. (f) Number of muscle fibers per TA cross section. (g) Cross-sectional area (CSA) of TA muscles. (h) Percentage of TA CSA containing thickened interstitial space. (i,j) Representative images of fBTX-labeled AChR clusters in control (i) and Ago2 KD (j) EDL muscles. (k) Number of AChR islands per NMJ. (l) Area of NMJ AChR area. (m) AChR cluster dispersion. All values reported as mean ± SD. Unpaired 2-sided t test used for all comparisons except panels (e) and (l), where unpaired 2-sided t test with Welch’s correction was used, and panel (h), where Mann–Whitney test was used. n = 3. Scale bar = 10 µm.
