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新工具可实现果蝇神经元回路的逆行示踪
作者:小柯机器人 发布时间:2020/11/5 13:12:23

2020年11月2日,英国MRC分子生物学实验室Gregory S. X. E. Jefferis、Sebastian Cachero等研究人员合作在《自然—方法学》杂志发表论文,报道了一种能在果蝇中逆行示踪神经元回路的新工具。

研究人员报道了BAcTrace(肉毒杆菌激活的示踪剂),这是一种基因编码的逆行突触标记系统。BAcTrace基于肉毒杆菌神经毒素A( Botox),研究人员将其设计为在神经元之间逆行,从而激活原本沉默的转录因子。研究人员在果蝇嗅觉系统中的三个神经元连接处验证了BAcTrace。
 
结果表明,BAcTrace介导的标记能够对连接的神经元进行电生理记录。最终,在具有高度发散连接的高难度回路中,BAcTrace正确地鉴别了以前通过电子显微镜观察到的16个连接中的12个。
 
据介绍,动物的行为编码在大脑的神经元回路中。为了阐明这些回路的功能,需要识别、记录并操纵所连接神经元的网络。
 
附:英文原文

Title: BAcTrace, a tool for retrograde tracing of neuronal circuits in Drosophila

Author: Sebastian Cachero, Marina Gkantia, Alexander S. Bates, Shahar Frechter, Laura Blackie, Amy McCarthy, Ben Sutcliffe, Alessio Strano, Yoshinori Aso, Gregory S. X. E. Jefferis

Issue&Volume: 2020-11-02

Abstract: Animal behavior is encoded in neuronal circuits in the brain. To elucidate the function of these circuits, it is necessary to identify, record from and manipulate networks of connected neurons. Here we present BAcTrace (Botulinum-Activated Tracer), a genetically encoded, retrograde, transsynaptic labeling system. BAcTrace is based on Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin A, Botox, which we engineered to travel retrogradely between neurons to activate an otherwise silent transcription factor. We validated BAcTrace at three neuronal connections in the Drosophila olfactory system. We show that BAcTrace-mediated labeling allows electrophysiological recording of connected neurons. Finally, in a challenging circuit with highly divergent connections, BAcTrace correctly identified 12 of 16 connections that were previously observed by electron microscopy. BAcTrace is a predominantly retrograde tracing tool for connectomic analyses in Drosophila.

DOI: 10.1038/s41592-020-00989-1

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-020-00989-1

期刊信息

Nature Methods:《自然—方法学》,创刊于2004年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团,最新IF:28.467
官方网址:https://www.nature.com/nmeth/
投稿链接:https://mts-nmeth.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex