RNA-Seq of laser capture microdissected spinal cord motor neurons from wtSOD1-YFP and G85R SOD1-YFP transgenic mice.

A. Survival curve of G85R SOD1-YFP mice with copy number greater than 200. 80% of the mice were paralyzed (and euthanized) between ∼115 days and 205 days (red bar). N = 226. For the present study of motor neuron RNA, presymptomatic mice at ∼90 days of age were used. B.-D. Spinal cord from a 3 month old G85R SOD1-YFP mouse. Frozen section of right ventral horn region is shown, stained with Azure B dye, panel B (see Methods); incubated with anti-ChAT antibodies, panel C; or directly examined for YFP fluorescence, panel D. The large blue-stained cell bodies in panel B are motor neurons as indicated by anti-ChAT staining in panel C. Note that the same cells have YFP fluorescence in panel D. E. Large Azure B-stained cell bodies were laser captured directly into a guanidine thiocyanate solution (see Methods) and subsequent steps carried out as diagrammed (see Methods).