Using AAV as a gene delivery vector in the neural system is effective in several animals, such as nonhuman primates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz Dowaidar

Neuroscience research finds diverse uses for these intersectional approaches. Brainbow labeling uses a stochastic combination of four independent fluorescent reporters to mark each neuron, resulting in as many as 100 unique colors that may be recognized by confocal microscopy. Each neuron is labeled with a distinctive color, so you can track several axons that originate from the same cell. Because Cre recombination is employed by Brainbow to produce stochastic fluorescence proteins, Cre-dependent AAV vectors from Brainbow 3.1 may be utilized to perform intersectional labeling. When coinjected and activated by Cre, the AAV vectors each express two fluorescent proteins, each of which has a unique labeling of neurons.As interrelated circuits are traced, the ramifications stretch well beyond that. Functional circuit probing is enabled only via optogenetic ion channels and chemogenetic designer receptors that are activated by designer drugs (DREADDs). is a diphtheria toxin receptor that can selectively target neuronal networks. Neuronal circuits are dissected in animal behavior and disease causation by stimulating, inhibiting, or ablating them. Intersectional expression of illness-associated proteins may be utilized to mimic the effect and spread of pathology in certain cell populations, which is notably valuable in the research of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Using AAV to affect intersectional gene expression is safe and effective in several animals, such as nonhuman primates. This new kind of study is setting the path for the next generation of neuroscience work, and they are making yet another important stride toward better comprehending the mammal's nervous system.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrieli Sachett ◽  
Matheus Gallas-Lopes ◽  
Greicy M M Conterato ◽  
Radharani Benvenutti not provided ◽  
Ana P Herrmann ◽  
...  

Zebrafish are incresingly used as a model animal in neuroscience research. Here we describe a protocol to quantify nonprotein sulfhydryl groups (NPSH), an indirect evaluation of the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), a major oxidative stress defense in the central nervous system.


2005 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 113-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian A. Salomons ◽  
Lisette G.G.C. Verhoef ◽  
Nico P. Dantuma

Regulated turnover of proteins in the cytosol and nucleus of eukaryotic cells is primarily performed by the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS). The UPS is involved in many essential cellular processes. Alterations in this proteolytic system are associated with a variety of human pathologies, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, immunological disorders and inflammation. The precise role of the UPS in the pathophysiology of these diseases, however, remains poorly understood. Detection of UPS aberrations has been a major challenge because of the complexity of the system. Most studies focus on various aspects of the UPS, such as substrate recognition, ubiquitination, deubiquitination or proteasome activity, and do not provide a complete picture of the UPS as an integral system. To monitor the efficacy of the UPS, a number of reporter substrates have been developed based on fluorescent proteins, such as the green fluorescent protein and its spectral variants. These fluorescent UPS reporters contain specific degradation signals that target them with high efficiency and accuracy for proteasomal degradation. Several studies have shown that these reporters can probe the functionality of the UPS in cellular and animal models and provide us with important information on the status of the UPS under various conditions. Moreover, these reporters can aid the identification and development of novel anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs based on UPS inhibition.


2006 ◽  
Vol 174 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine F. Corbett-Nelson ◽  
David Mason ◽  
John G. Marshall ◽  
Yves Collette ◽  
Sergio Grinstein

Phospholipids play a critical role in the recruitment and activation of several adaptors and effectors during phagocytosis. Changes in lipid metabolism during phagocytosis are restricted to the phagocytic cup, the area of the plasmalemma lining the target particle. It is unclear how specific lipids and lipid-associated molecules are prevented from diffusing away from the cup during the course of phagocytosis, a process that often requires several minutes. We studied the mobility of lipid-associated proteins at the phagocytic cup by measuring fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Lipid-anchored (diacylated) fluorescent proteins were freely mobile in the unstimulated membrane, but their mobility was severely restricted at sites of phagocytosis. Only probes anchored to the inner monolayer displayed reduced mobility, whereas those attached to the outer monolayer were unaffected. The immobilization persisted after depletion of plasmalemmal cholesterol, ruling out a role of conventional “rafts.” Corralling of the probes by the actin cytoskeleton was similarly discounted. Instead, the change in mobility required activation of tyrosine kinases. We suggest that signaling-dependent recruitment of adaptors and effectors with lipid binding domains generates an annulus of lipids with restricted mobility.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie H. Luginbuehl ◽  
Sherif El-Sharnouby ◽  
Na Wang ◽  
Julian M. Hibberd

AbstractFluorescent reporters have facilitated non-invasive imaging in multiple plant species and thus allowed analysis of processes ranging from gene expression and protein localization through to cellular patterning. However, in rice, a globally important crop and model species, there are relatively few reports of fluorescent proteins being used in leaves. Fluorescence imaging is particularly difficult in the rice leaf blade, likely due to a high degree of light scattering in this tissue. To address this, we investigated approaches to improve deep imaging in mature rice leaf blades. We found that ClearSee treatment, which has previously been used to visualise fluorescent reporters in whole tissues of plants, led to improved imaging in rice. Removing epidermal and subtending mesophyll cell layers was faster than ClearSee, and also reduced light scattering such that imaging of fluorescent proteins in deeper leaf layers was possible. To expand the range of fluorescent proteins suitable for imaging in rice, we screened twelve whose spectral profiles spanned most of the visible spectrum. This identified five proteins, mTurquoise2, mClover3, mNeonGreen, mKOκ and tdTomato that are robustly expressed and visible in mesophyll cells of stably transformed plants. Using microparticle bombardment, we show that mTurquoise2 and mNeonGreen can be used for simultaneous multicolour imaging of different sub-cellular compartments. Overall, we conclude that mTurquoise2, mClover3, mNeonGreen, mKOκ and tdTomato are suitable for high resolution live imaging of rice leaves, both after transient and stable transformation. Along with the rapid microparticle bombardment method, which allows transient transformation of major cell types in the leaf blade, these fluorescent reporters should greatly facilitate the analysis of gene expression and cell biology in rice.One sentence summaryWe report five fluorescent reporters suitable for functional analysis in rice leaves.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-44,57-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Marcus ◽  
Charles A. Nelson

AbstractThis paper critically examines the literature on face recognition in autism, including a discussion of the neural correlates of this ability. The authors begin by selectively reviewing the behavioral and cognitive neuroscience research on whether faces are represented by a “special” behavioral and neural system—one distinct from object processing. The authors then offer a neuroconstructivist model that attempts to account for the robust finding that certain regions in the inferior temporal cortex are recruited in the service of face recognition. This is followed by a review of the evidence supporting the view that face recognition is atypical in individuals with autism. This face-recognition deficit may indicate a continued risk for the further development of social impairments. The authors conclude by speculating on the role of experience in contributing to this atypical developmental pattern and its implications for normal development of face processing.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Vaidyanathan ◽  
Evan Appleton ◽  
David Tran ◽  
Alexander Vahid ◽  
George Church ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMolecular biologists rely on the use of fluorescent probes to take measurements of their model systems. These fluorophores fall into various classes (e.g. fluorescent dyes, fluorescent proteins, etc.), but they all share some general properties (such as excitation and emission spectra, brightness) and require similar equipment for data acquisition. Selecting an ideal set of fluorophores for a particular measurement technology or vice versa is a multidimensional problem that is difficult to solve with ad hoc methods due to the enormous solution space of possible fluorophore panels. Choosing sub-optimal fluorophore panels can result in unreliable or erroneous measurements of biochemical properties in model systems. Here, we describe a set of algorithms, implemented in an open-source software tool, for solving these problems efficiently to arrive at fluorophore panels optimized for maximal signal and minimal bleed-through.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Oyama ◽  
Yukiko Hori ◽  
Yuji Nagai ◽  
Naohisa Miyakawa ◽  
Koki Mimura ◽  
...  

The chemogenetic technology referred to as designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) offers reversible means to control neuronal activity for investigating its functional correlation with behavioral action. Deschloroclozapine (DCZ), a recently-developed highly potent and selective DREADDs actuator, displays a capacity to expand the utility of DREADDs for chronic manipulation without side-effects in nonhuman primates, which has not yet been validated. Here we investigated the pharmacokinetics and behavioral effects of orally administered DCZ in macaque monkeys. Pharmacokinetic analysis and positron emission tomography (PET) occupancy examination demonstrated that oral administration of DCZ yielded slower and prolonged kinetics, and that its bioavailability was 10-20% of that in the case of systemic injection. Oral DCZ (300-1000 μg/kg) induced significant working memory impairments for at least 4 h in monkeys with hM4Di expressed in the prefrontal cortex. Repeated daily oral doses of DCZ consistently caused similar impairments over two weeks without discernible desensitization. Our results indicate that orally delivered DCZ affords a less invasive strategy for chronic but reversible chemogenetic manipulation of neuronal activity in nonhuman primates, and this has potential for clinical application.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Nentwig ◽  
J. Daniel Obray ◽  
Dylan Vaughan ◽  
L. Judson Chandler

Abstract Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) have become a premier neuroscience research tool for enabling reversible manipulations of cellular activity following experimenter-controlled delivery of a DREADD-specific ligand. However, several DREADD ligands, e.g., clozapine-N-oxide (CNO), have metabolic and off-target effects that may confound experimental findings. New DREADD ligands aim to reduce metabolic and potential off-target effects while maintaining strong efficacy for the designer receptors. Recently a novel DREADD ligand, deschloroclozapine (DCZ), was shown to induce chemogenetic-mediated cellular and behavioral effects in mice and monkeys without detectable side effects. The goal of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of systemic DCZ for DREADD-based chemogenetic manipulations in behavioral and slice electrophysiological applications in rats. We demonstrate that a relatively low dose of DCZ (0.1 mg/kg) supports excitatory DREADD-mediated cFos induction, DREADD-mediated inhibition of a central amygdala-dependent behavior, and DREADD-mediated inhibition of neuronal activity in a slice electrophysiology preparation. In addition, we show that this dose of DCZ does not alter gross locomotor activity or induce a place preference/aversion in control rats without DREADD expression. Together, our findings support the use of systemic DCZ for DREADD-based manipulaations in rats, and provide evidence that DCZ is a superior alternative to CNO.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document