Besides, CHAT-labeled processes were sharper and shorter from 2 months of age (data not shown). We performed Western blot analysis and quantitative PCR to

analyze the expression level of ChAT protein and transcript, respectively, in lumbar sections from 1 and 3 month of age animals. We observed no significant differences at protein level at any time point between transgenic and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical control littermate animals; however, it was a marked reduction in the transcript of ChAT in the 1-month-age SOD1G93A mice (Fig. 1D and E). Figure 1 Early transient ChAT reduction in spinal MNs of transgenic SOD1 mice. (A) PI3K assay immunofluorescent microphotographs showing ChAT content in MNs at the L4–L5 spinal cord ventral horn of nontransgenic wild-type (WT) littermates or transgenic SOD1 mice … In order to investigate whether it was a general effect affecting the production of ChAT independently of the type of neuron or it was specific for MNs, we analyzed also the cholinergic interneurons present in Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical lamina X that innervate MNs at the lumbar level. We observed that cholinergic interneurons presented also a reduction in ChAT content within their soma (61 ± 8%, n = 13) at 1 month of age, which increased at 2 months but it was still significantly lower than in WT mice (Fig.

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 2). Figure 2 Cholinergic interneurons have early decrease of ChAT in the ALS mouse model. (A) Representative immunofluorescent microphotographs showing ChAT labeling in cholinergic interneurons (green) contrasted with cellular Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical nuclear staining with DAPI (blue), near … These results indicated that there is a generalized, early, and transient reduction in ChAT

content in the soma and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical processes of cholinergic neurons, both MNs and interneurons of the spinal cord, in SOD1G93A mice at 30 days of age. This decline persists in the processes but not in the soma of MNs in older transgenic mice. Quantitation of ChAT-positive boutons As mentioned, ChAT was also observed in cholinergic terminals that contact onto spinal Dichloromethane dehalogenase MNs, which belong to either recurrent axonal collaterals of interconnections between MNs (Cullheim et al. 1977) (Lagerback et al. 1981) or innervation by cholinergic interneurons. These inputs influence the MN excitatory and inhibitory balance, which is altered in ALS. Those terminals apposing MN somata are named C-boutons and represent one of the largest terminals around their perimeter (3–7 μm in cat) (Arvidsson et al. 1997). In order to analyze the ChAT content in these terminals, we counted ChAT-labeled boutons apposed to MNs at L4–L5 in WT and SOD1G93A mice at 1 and 2 months of age. We found a marked decrease (76%) in SOD1G93A mice already from 1 month of age (Fig. 3). No statistical differences were found between nontransgenic animals of 1 or 2 months of age.