Microscopy images of the effects of PDZ-RhoGEF manipulation on dendritic spines and videos of effects on PDZ-RhoGEF on mouse behavioral phenotypes

PDZ-RhoGEF is a RhoA-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for
the RhoA small GTPase. The purpose of these experiments is to determine
the effects of PDZ-RhoGEF overexpression and knockdown on mouse behavioral
phenotypes. Relevant behaviors including assessments of spatial working
memory, recognition memory, social behavior, and stress coping. Herpes
simplex viral vectors (HSV) were used to overexpress PDZ-RhoGEF. Knockdown
of PDZ-RhoGEF was accomplished via packaging of short hairpin RNA (shRNA)
into adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) against Arhgef11 (the gene that
encodes the PDZ-RhoGEF protein). Viral vectors were surgically infused
directly into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of young adult male
mice. Using the same HSV approach, the effects of PDZ-RhoGEF
overexpression on the density and morphology of dendritic spines was also
analyzed. Finally, using structured illumination microscopy (SIM), the
spatial location of PDZ-RhoGEF and that of one of its direct interacting
proteins, DISC1, was examined within individual dendritic spines.