Effect of Brn3a overexpression on the localization of Brn3a-lineage neurons.

(A, B) pCAG-LSL-EGFP without (A, control) or with pCAG-Brn3a (B, Brn3a overexpression) was unilaterally introduced into the spinal dorsal horn neurons of Brn3aCre/+ mice at E12.5 via in utero electroporation, and the transverse sections of the spinal cord at E18.5 were prepared to analyze the localization of EGFP-positive neurons. Arrows indicate EGFP-positive fibers derived from Brn3a-overexpressing neurons in the VF and VLF. Scale, 200 μm. (C) Five zones were defined in the spinal dorsal horn as shown in Fig 3G. (D) Percentage of EGFP-positive neurons localized in each zone of the spinal cord in control (n = 5) and Brn3a-overexpressing (n = 5) mice is shown. Significant differences were assessed using the Mann–Whitney U-test. Zone 1, p = 0.0397; Zone 2, p = 0.0079; Zone 3, p = 0.3889; Zone 4, p = 0.0079; Zone 5, p = 0.0079. *p p < 0.01. Data are the mean ± SEM.