Motor dysfunction in the motor neuron-specific <i>dnc-1</i>-KD <i>C. elegans</i> model.

<p>(<i>A</i>) Stereoscopic microscopy showing the phenotypes of the <i>control(RNAi)</i> and <i>dnc-1(RNAi)</i> worms. (<i>B, C</i>) Survival curves of the transgenic worms (<i>dnc-1(RNAi-1)</i>, n = 90; <i>dnc-1(RNAi-2)</i>, n = 90; <i>control(RNAi)</i> n = 90; and wild-type n = 30). The same survival data of the <i>control(RNAi)</i>and wild-type worms were used in both graphs. Both <i>dnc-1(RNAi)</i> worms with different shRNA sequences (101, 2888) had significantly reduced life spans compared with the <i>control(RNAi)</i> worms (101: p = 0.005; 2888: p<0.0001; log-rank test). (<i>D</i>) The number of body bends associated with forward movement in 3 min. (<i>E</i>) The number of thrashing movements in liquid medium in 30 s. (<i>F, G</i>) The tracks (<i>F</i>) and average speed of the worms (<i>G</i>) analyzed by video capture at day 4. Scale bars in <i>F</i> = 100 μm. The error bars are S.E.M. (n = 30, 30, 40, and 40 for <i>dnc-1(RNAi-1)</i>, <i>dnc-1(RNAi-2)</i>, <i>control(RNAi)</i>, and wild-type, respectively, in <i>D</i>, <i>E</i>; and n = 6, 6, and 6 for <i>dnc-1(RNAi-1)</i>, <i>control(RNAi)</i>, and wild-type, respectively, in <i>G</i>). The statistical analyses in <i>C</i>, <i>D</i>, and <i>F</i> were performed by one-way ANOVA followed by the Bonferroni/Dunn post hoc test (*p<0.001 and **p<0.0001).