Fig. 2

Irf8 deficiency alters retinal MG distribution, morphology and transcriptional profile. A Breeding scheme. B Irf8 KO mice demonstrate reduced density of Cx3cr1-GFP⁺ (green) retinal MG. Quantitative analysis are shown in (C). Pictures are representative for n = 5 mice in each group. C Quantification in microglial numbers in the inner plexiform (IPL) and outer plexiform layer (OPL). n = 5 mice were analysed per group. Data are shown as mean ± SEM. D 3D reconstruction of retinal MG by IMARIS reveals that Irf8 deficiency alters morphology of retinal MG, resulting in shorter total length of dendrites, less dendrite segments and attenuated branching. E Quantitative analysis of retinal morphology. Four to six cells were reconstructed per mouse per IPL and OPL separately. Statistics were performed with the mean values per mouse (n = 6–7 in the Irf8 WT and n = 3–4 in the Irf8 KO group). Data are shown as mean ± SEM