Open AccessCre Activated and Inactivated Recombinant Adeno‐Associated Viral Vectors for Neuronal Anatomical Tracing or Activity Manipulation
Author(s) -
Saunders Arpiar,
Sabatini Bernardo L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
current protocols in neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.307
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1934-8576
pISSN - 1934-8584
DOI - 10.1002/0471142301.ns0124s72
Subject(s) - cre recombinase , adeno associated virus , biology , transgene , recombinant dna , genetically modified mouse , cre lox recombination , recombinase , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , genetics , gene , vector (molecular biology) , recombination
Recombinant adeno‐associated viruses (rAAVs) transcriptionally activated by Cre recombinase (Cre‐On) are powerful tools for determining the anatomy and function of genetically defined neuronal types in transgenic Cre driver mice. Here we describe how rAAVs transcriptionally inactivated by Cre (Cre‐Off) can be used in conjunction with Cre‐On rAAVs or genomic Cre‐reporter alleles to study brain circuits. Intracranial injection of Cre‐On/Cre‐Off rAAVs into spatially intermingled Cre + and Cre ‐ neurons allows these populations to be differentially labeled or manipulated within individual animals. This comparison helps define the unique properties of Cre + neurons, highlighting the specialized role they play in their constituent brain circuits. This protocol touches on the conceptual and experimental background of Cre‐Off rAAV systems, including caveats and methods of validation. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.