Abstract
The use of transgenic mice expressing fluorescent proteins to report a specific protein or to identify specific groups of neurons in the brain is revolutionizing many different aspects of neuroscience. Here we use an example of a GFP-expressing reporter mouse from the GENSAT project that allows identification of a specific group of neurons in the mouse cortex. Live GFP detection facilitates identification of the neurons for whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiological recording to probe their functional properties. Post hoc immunohistochemistry allows specific reconstruction of the shape of the recorded neuron; this together with the detection of other co-expressed proteins helps confirm the functional identity of specific neuron types. Approaches such as these are beginning to progress the major task of untangling the complexity of a variety of brain circuits.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Miller MN, Okaty BW, Nelson SB (2008) Region-specific spike-frequency acceleration in layer 5 pyramidal neurons mediated by Kv1 subunits. J Neurosci 28:13716–13726
Yu J, Anderson CT, Kiritani T et al (2008) Local-circuit phenotypes of layer 5 neurons in motor-frontal cortex of YFP-H mice. Front Neural Circuits 2:6
Porrero C, Rubio-Garrido P, Avendaño C et al (2010) Mapping of fluorescent protein- expressing neurons and axon pathways in adult and developing Thy-eYFP-H transgenic mice. Brain Res 1345:59–72
Akemann W, Zhong Y-M, Ichinohe N et al (2004) Transgenic mice expressing a fluorescent in vivo label in a distinct subpopulation of neocortical layer 5 pyramidal cells. J Comp Neurol 480:72–88
Uusisaari M, Knöpfel T (2010) GlyT2+ neurons in the lateral cerebellar nucleus. Cerebellum 9:42–55
Groh A, Meyer HS, Schmidt EF et al (2009) Cell-type specific properties of pyramidal neurons in neocortex underlying a layout that is modifiable depending on the cortical area. Cereb Cortex 20:826–836
Heintz N (2004) Gene expression nervous system atlas (GENSAT). Nat Neurosci 7:483
Arlotta P, Molyneaux BJ, Chen J et al (2005) Neuronal subtype-specific genes that control corticospinal motor neuron development in vivo. Neuron 45:207–221
Chen B, Schaevitz LR, McConnell SK (2005) Fezl regulates the differentiation and axon targeting of layer 5 subcortical projection neurons in cerebral cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:17184–17189
Chen J-G, Rašin M-R, Kwan KY et al (2005) Zfp312 is required for subcortical axonal projections and dendritic morphology of deep-layer pyramidal neurons of the cerebral cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:17792–17797
Molyneaux BJ, Arlotta P, Hirata T et al (2005) Fezl is required for the birth and specification of corticospinal motor neurons. Neuron 47:817–831
Molyneaux BJ, Arlotta P, Menezes JRL et al (2007) Neuronal subtype specification in the cerebral cortex. Nat Rev Neurosci 8:427–437
Leone DP, Srinivasan K, Chen B et al (2008) The determination of projection neuron identity in the developing cerebral cortex. Curr Opin Neurobiol 18:28–35
Nelson SB, Sugino K, Hempel CM (2006) The problem of neuronal cell types: a physiological genomics approach. Trends Neurosci 29:339–345
Rouaux C, Bhai S, Arlotta P (2012) Programming and reprogramming neuronal subtypes in the central nervous system. Dev Neurobiol 72:1085–1098
Özdinler PH, Benn S, Yamamoto TH et al (2011) Corticospinal motor neurons and related subcerebral projection neurons undergo early and specific neurodegeneration in hSOD1G93A transgenic ALS mice. J Neurosci 31:4166–4177
Franklin K, Paxinos G (2001) The mouse brain in stereotaxic coordinates, 2nd edn. London Academic Press, San Diego
Anderson CT, Sheets PL, Kiritani T et al (2010) Sublayer-specific microcircuits of corticospinal and corticostriatal neurons in motor cortex. Nat Neurosci 13:739–744
Meijering E, Jacob M, Sarria JCF et al (2004) Design and validation of a tool for neurite tracing and analysis in fluorescence microscopy images. Cytometry A 58A:167–176
Chen B, Wang SS, Hattox AM et al (2008) The Fezf2-Ctip2 genetic pathway regulates the fate choice of subcortical projection neurons in the developing cerebral cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105:11382–11387
Alcamo EA, Chirivella L, Dautzenberg M et al (2008) Satb2 regulates callosal projection neuron identity in the developing cerebral cortex. Neuron 57:364–377
Britanova O, de Juan Romero C, Cheung A et al (2008) Satb2 is a postmitotic determinant for upper-layer neuron specification in the neocortex. Neuron 57:378–392
Han W, Kwan KY, Shim S (2011) TBR1 directly represses Fezf2 to control the laminar origin and development of the corticospinal tract. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108:3041–3046
McKenna WL, Betancourt J, Larkin KA et al (2011) Tbr1 and Fezf2 regulate alternate corticofugal neuronal identities during neocortical development. J Neurosci 31:549–564
Tantirigama MLS, Oswald MJ, Duynstee C et al (2014) Expression of the developmental transcription factor Fezf2 identifies a distinct subpopulation of layer 5 intratelencephalic-projection neurons in mature mouse motor cortex. J Neurosci 34(12):4303–4308
Dombeck DA, Harvey CD, Tian L et al (2010) Functional imaging of hippocampal place cells at cellular resolution during virtual navigation. Nat Neurosci 13:1433–1440
Muto A, Ohkura M, Kotani T et al (2011) Genetic visualization with an improved GCaMP calcium indicator reveals spatiotemporal activation of the spinal motor neurons in zebrafish. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108:5425–5430
Akemann W, Mutoh H, Perron A (2010) Imaging brain electric signals with genetically targeted voltage-sensitive fluorescent proteins. Nat Methods 7:643–649
Akemann W, Mutoh H, Perron A (2012) Imaging neural circuit dynamics with a voltage-sensitive fluorescent protein. J Neurophysiol 108:2323–2337
Knöpfel T (2012) Genetically encoded optical indicators for the analysis of neuronal circuits. Nat Rev Neurosci 13:687–700
Acknowledgements
Supported by the Marsden Fund Council from Government funding, administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand. M.T. is the recipient of a Department of Physiology, University of Otago PhD scholarship.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Empson, R.M., Tantirigama, M.L.S., Oswald, M.J., Hughes, S.M., Knöpfel, T. (2015). Combined Immunochemistry and Live Imaging of Fluorescent Protein Expressing Neurons in Mouse Brain. In: Merighi, A., Lossi, L. (eds) Immunocytochemistry and Related Techniques. Neuromethods, vol 101. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2313-7_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2313-7_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2312-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2313-7
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols