Figure 4

Expression of dystroglycan in the developing cerebellum. Immunofluorescent detection of α-dystroglycan (green; α-DG) and laminin (red; LM) in the cerebellum of wild-type littermate controls at E14.5, P0, P3, and P21 (A-C, G), nestin-Cre/DG-null mice at matching developmental ages (D-F, H), and GFAP-Cre/DG-null at P21 (I). DG is detectable at E14.5 and localizes with laminin (carets; ^) at the basement membrane overlying the cerebellar primordium. In the absence of dystroglycan at E14.5 in the nestin-Cre/DG-null, the basement membrane appears to be intact, while small discontinuities are noticeable at P0 and exacerbates by P3 (tildes). DG expression in Purkinje cells (double daggers; ‡) is retained in the GFAP-Cre/DG-null, but not the nestin-Cre/DG-null cerebellum. DAPI (blue) was used as a nuclear counter stain. Asterisk (*) denotes ectopic cells. GCL = granule cell layer; ML = molecular layer; PCL = Purkinje cell layer. Scale bar: 20 μm.