Fig. 4

Representative confocal double-immunofluorescence for neurofilament (NF-H, Cy3) and CD55 detected with anti-DAF (FITC) in control (a, b, c) and ALS (d, e, f) intercostal muscle shows CD55 deposition in ALS intercostal muscle on and around nerves (white asterisks on CD55 and arrowhead pointing to NF-H in f) but not in control tissue (c). Quantification showed CD55 deposition co-localizing with nerves or in the vicinity of nerves in the intercostal muscle of ALS donors but not in controls (P = 0.01 and P = 0.0001, respectively) (g). Numbers of CD55-positive end-plates in 20 non-overlapping Z-stacks in 40-μm thick intercostal muscle sections is given on the y-axis. Error bars represent standard deviation of the mean n.d. not detected. NE staining (dark brown) followed by an immune staining for CD55 (blue) showing i CD55 deposition on the motor end-plates (white arrow in i) in the intercostal muscle of ALS donors h but no CD55 deposition in controls