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Fig. 3 | Molecular Brain

Fig. 3

From: Reduction in parvalbumin expression not loss of the parvalbumin-expressing GABA interneuron subpopulation in genetic parvalbumin and shank mouse models of autism

Fig. 3

a Left: Stereological estimations of PV+ (light gray) and VVA+ (dark gray) cells in mPFC (upper row), SSC (middle row) and striatum (lower row) of PND25 WT, PV+/- and PV-/- male mice. Significant differences are observed in PV+ cells between WT, PV+/- and PV-/- animals (p-value <0.05). *Significant vs. WT mice. Asterisks represent *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001, respectively. Middle: stereological estimation of double-labeled (PV+ VVA+) cells of PND25 WT and PV+/- mice (white bars); Right: percentage of PV+ cells surrounded by VVA (light gray) and VVA+ cells showing PV expression (dark gray) in WT and PV+/- mice. b Quantitative Western blot analysis of forebrain samples of P25 WT PV+/- and PV-/- mice. A representative Western blot (left) and the quantification of PV protein levels in WT and PV+/- forebrain are shown (right). No PV signal was detectable in PV-/- mice. The Ponceau Red-stained protein markers loaded on the same membrane as the brain extract samples are shown with their respective molecular mass on the left. Data are from three independent experiments and are shown as mean ± SEM. Results are expressed as a percentage of normalized PV levels measured in control (WT), defined as 100 %. GAPDH or calbindin D-28k (CB) signals served as loading controls and were used for the normalization of the PV signals. Both, CB and GAPDH expression levels were unchanged in PV+/- and Shank mutants compared to WT mice (data not shown). c qRT-PCR values from P25 PV+/- mice representing Pvalb mRNA levels were normalized to 18S mRNA levels and expressed as fold change compared to WT. Data from three independent experiments were pooled together and are shown as mean ± SD. In all graphs, asterisks indicate statistical significance vs. WT (p-value <0.05, p = 0.0003)

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