Transgenic mouse models enabling photolabeling of individual neurons in vivo

One of the biggest tasks in neuroscience is to explain activity patterns of individual neurons during behavior by their cellular characteristics and their connectivity within the neuronal network. To greatly facilitate linking in vivo experiments with a more detailed molecular or physiological analy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2013-04, Vol.8 (4), p.e62132-e62132
Main Authors: Peter, Manuel, Bathellier, Brice, Fontinha, Bruno, Pliota, Pinelopi, Haubensak, Wulf, Rumpel, Simon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activity patterns
Animal models
Animals
Biology
Brain
Brain research
Brain slice preparation
c-Fos protein
Cell Line
Cell Tracking - methods
Dendrites
Female
Fos protein
Gene Expression
Gene Order
Genetic engineering
Genetic modification
Genetic Vectors - genetics
Genetically modified organisms
Green Fluorescent Proteins - genetics
Green Fluorescent Proteins - metabolism
House mouse
Humans
Labeling
Laboratory animals
Male
Mice
Mice, Transgenic
Morphology
Nervous system
Neural networks
Neurons
Neurons - cytology
Neurons - metabolism
Neurosciences
Pathology
Protein Transport
Proteins
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - genetics
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - metabolism
Rodents
Transgenic mice
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Summary:One of the biggest tasks in neuroscience is to explain activity patterns of individual neurons during behavior by their cellular characteristics and their connectivity within the neuronal network. To greatly facilitate linking in vivo experiments with a more detailed molecular or physiological analysis in vitro, we have generated and characterized genetically modified mice expressing photoactivatable GFP (PA-GFP) that allow conditional photolabeling of individual neurons. Repeated photolabeling at the soma reveals basic morphological features due to diffusion of activated PA-GFP into the dendrites. Neurons photolabeled in vivo can be re-identified in acute brain slices and targeted for electrophysiological recordings. We demonstrate the advantages of PA-GFP expressing mice by the correlation of in vivo firing rates of individual neurons with their expression levels of the immediate early gene c-fos. Generally, the mouse models described in this study enable the combination of various analytical approaches to characterize living cells, also beyond the neurosciences.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0062132