A novel fluorescent tracer for visualizing coupled cells in neural circuits of living tissue
A novel fluorescent tracer for visualizing coupled cells in neural circuits of living tissue
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DOI：
10.1369/jhc.6a6935.2006
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发表时间：
2006-10-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Mills, Stephen L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hoshi, Hideo;O'Brien, John;Mills, Stephen L.
缝隙连接在多种组织中具有不同的作用，最近已成为神经回路中的一个研究热点，其中同步性和振荡可能起重要作用。在存在缝隙连接的回路中，通过将示踪剂引入一个细胞并观察其扩散到其耦合的邻居中来识别相互通信的细胞的可能性出现。通过这种方法染色偶联细胞为许多重要技术打开了大门，包括配对细胞电生理学，RT-PCR和以前未知的偶联细胞的形态学表征。目前常用的示踪剂在许多组织（包括神经元）中通常不适用于这些目的。本文描述了如何使用荧光核示踪剂Po-pro-1来可视化几种类型的视网膜神经元中的偶联细胞，这些视网膜神经元被认为是由不同的连接蛋白蛋白（包括Cx 36，CA 5，Cx 50和Cx 57）组成的。
Gap junctions have diverse roles in a wide variety of tissues and have recently become a subject of intense investigation in neural circuits where synchrony and oscillations may play an important part. In circuits where gap junctions are present, the possibility arises of identifying intercommunicating cells via introduction of tracer into one cell and observing its spread into its coupled neighbors. Staining the coupled cells by this means opens the door to many vital techniques including paired-cell electrophysiology, RT-PCR, and morphological characterization of previously unknown coupled cells. Tracers commonly used at the present time are not generally suitable for these purposes in many tissues, including neurons. This paper describes how a fluorescent nuclear tracer, Po-pro-1, can be used to visualize coupled cells in several types of retinal neurons thought to be comprised of different connexin proteins including Cx36, CA5, Cx50, and Cx57.