Loss of Tmem106b leads to cerebellum Purkinje cell death and motor deficits.

Since cerebellar Purkinje cells are known to play an important role in controlling balance, we next investigated motor function in aged I Tmem106b-/-, Tmem106b+/-, i and WT mice (15 months of age) using a dowel test. We next examined Purkinje cell numbers in younger mice; however, no significant difference in terms of Purkinje cell number was observed between I Tmem106b-/- i and WT mice at 3 and 8 months of age (Figure 1B, C). Taken together, these results are in line with Purkinje cell loss in I Tmem106b-/- i cerebellum and further implicate inflammation in Tmem106b deficiency-induced Purkinje cell loss. [Extracted from the article]