Figure 5

Facilitated Golgi fragmentation in mice G1del motor neurons with impaired dynein function. A) Representative confocal image of L4 lumbar motor neurons of a BN1/G1del transgenic mouse of 28 weeks of age. BN1 mice express GFP-BICD2-N in 50-60% of the motor neurons [17]. Note, Golgi fragmentation in GFP-BICD2-N neurons and normal Golgi apparatus in the other motor neurons. Bar, 20 μm. B) Bar graph showing the proportion of motor neurons with Golgi fragmentation in cervical C6/7 motor neurons of G1del, BN1, and G1del/BN1 mice of 28 weeks of age. Note, a much larger proportion of motor neurons with Golgi fragmentation in GFP-BICD2-N-positive (+) motor neurons of G1del/BN1 mice as compared to GFP-BICD2-N-negative (-) motor neurons of G1del/BN1 mice and motor neurons of G1del mice, which show similar percentages of motor neurons with Golgi fragmentation. *, P < 0.01, compared to G1del and G1del/BN1- motor neurons, Tukey’s multiple comparison test after one-way ANOVA. The difference in relative proportion of Golgi fragmentation can not be explained by differential degeneration of GFP-BICD2-N-positive versus GFP-BICD2-N-negative neurons, as at this age there is minimal loss of cervical motor neurons in G1del mice (Additional file 1: Figure S2).