MiR-133b does not regulate muscle reinnervation or ALS disease progression.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Semi-quantitative RT-PCR of cDNA from control or denervated hindlimb muscle 2 and 4 days after unilateral sciatic nerve cut. Levels of pre-miR-133b and AChRγ increase dramatically in denervated muscle, while levels of pre-miR-133a-1, pre-miR-133a-2 and GAPDH are unchanged, suggesting differential regulation of miR-133a and miR-133b. (<b>B–E</b>) Analysis of muscle reinnervation in tibialis anterior muscle from control (B) and miR-133b null mice (C) 3 weeks following nerve cut. (<b>D</b>) Percentage of tibialis anterior NMJs that were reinnervated. (<b>E</b>) Percentage of NMJs that were denerverated, partially reinnervated, or fully reinnervated. (<b>F,G</b>) Analysis of sternomastoid muscle reinnervation 9 days following accessory nerve crush. At least 6 mice were analyzed and 200 NMJs were examined per animal. Error bars indicate SEM. Scale bar  = 20 μm. (<b>H–J</b>) In the SOD1-G93A mouse model for ALS, loss of miR-133b does not exacerbate symptoms; disease onset (H), survival rate (I), and disease progression (J) are unchanged in the absence of miR-133b. Data were obtained from: 8 female, 8 male SOD1G93A; 10 female, 8 male miR-133b+/−;SOD1G93A; and 6 female, 9 male R-133b−/−;SOD1G93A mice. Error bars indicate SEM.</p

Lack of both miR-206 and miR-133b delays NMJ regeneration.

<p>(<b>A–D</b>) To determine whether both miRNAs, miR-206 and miR-133b (7H4), act in concert to affect muscle reinnervation, the peroneal nerve was crushed in control (A) and 7H4 knockout mice (B) and reinnervation of the extensor digitorium longus was examined 9 days post injury. In 7H4 muscles, the incidence of partially and completely denervated NMJs is higher than that in muscles from control animals (C, D). At least 6 mice were examined per genotype and 50 NMJs per mouse visualized. FI, fully innervated; PI, partially innervated; FD, fully denervated NMJs. Error bar  =  SEM. P-value (*) <0.02. Scale bar  = 50 μm. (<b>E, F</b>) Quantitative mRNA expression of pre-miR-1-1, pre-miR-1-2, pre-miR-133a-1, and pre-miR-133a-2 in EDL (E) and soleus (F) muscle of adult WT (black circles represent individual values and black line the mean) and 7H4 knockout (red circles represent individual values and red line the mean) mice. Gene expression is normalized to Gapdh and results are scaled to the average value of the WT samples.</p

Development of NMJs in 7H4 mice.

<p>(<b>A–D</b>) Both miR-206 and miR-133b are dispensable for development of the NMJ. There is no obvious difference in the transformation of the postsynapse (stained using f-BTX, red) from a small plaque into a large pretzel between 7H4 knockout (B and D) and control mice of the same age (A and C). The formation of the presynaptic apparatus is also indistinguishable between 7H4 knockout mice and control mice of the same age, visualized using antibodies against synaptotagmin-2, green, and neurofilament, blue, in young animals (A and B) and YFP expressed in motor axons (C and D). Scale bar  = 10 μm for P9 and 20 μm for adult NMJs.</p

Generation and analysis of miR-206 and miR-133b double knockout mice.

<p>(<b>A</b>) <i>Trans</i>-allelic targeted meiotic recombination was used to generate mice lacking both miR-206 and miR-133b. MiR-206 and miR-133b heterozygous mice each containing a loxP site in place of the miRNA stemloop were bred together and with mice expressing Cre recombinase in the germline. Zygotes produced from sperm that underwent <i>trans</i>-allelic recombination contained one chromosome lacking miR-206 and miR-133b and one chromosome with a miR-206 and miR-133b duplication. These animals were then bred to obtain miR-206 and miR-133b double knockout mice, i.e. 7H4 knockout mice. P1, forward primer upstream of miR-206. P2, reverse primer downstream of miR-133b. (<b>B</b>) PCR using P1 and P2 primers (in A) gives a detectable product (550 bp) only in 7H4 heterozygous and knockout mice, demonstrating that the 7H4 genomic region containing the miR-206 and miR-133b stem loops is completely missing from the 7H4 null allele. (<b>C</b>) PCR using primers specific for the miR-133b allele yields a 600 bp band only when the WT allele is present, but no band for the 7H4 null allele. (<b>D</b>) Quantitative RT-PCR for the stemloop regions of miR-206 and miR-133b. As expected, miR-206 and miR-133b are absent in 7H4 knockout mice.</p

Normal NMJ development in miR-133b knockout mice.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Immunofluorescence staining of axonal neurofilaments and vesicular synaptophysin (green) and BTX staining of postsynaptic nAChRs (red) to visualize axons innervating synaptic sites. Filled white arrowheads, NMJs with multiple axon innervation; empty arrowheads, retraction bulbs. Scale bar  = 20 μm. (<b>B</b>) The proportion of sternomastoid NMJs with multiple innervation decreases at a similar rate in control and knockout mice. (<b>C</b>) Proportion of developing sternomastoid NMJs with single, double or triple innervation is similar in control and knockout mice.</p