Transgenic Mice for Hybrid Voltage Sensor Imaging of Neural Circuitry

描述(申请人提供)：混合电压传感器(HVOS)技术使研究人员能够使用绿色荧光蛋白和其他荧光蛋白来成像膜电位。因为人类免疫缺陷病毒的探针是由DNA编码的，所以基因技术可以用来针对特定类型的细胞。该项目将开发带有针对小鼠大脑中特定类型神经元的HVOS探针的小鼠。动物将被开发出在广泛的大脑区域和细胞类型中表达的HVOS探针。还将开发出可用于针对非常特定的细胞群体的动物。从这些动物身上制备的脑切片在成像实验中将非常有用。基本上，任何大脑区域和任何神经细胞类型都可以使用这项工作中提出的策略进行研究。有了这些动物，研究人员将能够同时研究大量细胞的电活动。该实验室开发的一种HVOS探测器被发现优先以轴突为靶标。表达这种HVOS探针的动物将在轴突兴奋性的一般研究中有用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The hybrid voltage sensor (hVOS) technique enables researchers to use green fluorescent protein and other fluorescent proteins to image membrane potential. Because hVOS probes are encoded by DNA, genetic techniques can be used to target them to specific types of cells. This project will develop mice with hVOS probes targeted to specific types of neurons in the mouse brain. Animals will be developed with hVOS probes expressed in a wide variety of brain regions and cell types. Animals will also be developed that can be used to target very specific populations of cells. Slices of brain prepared from these animals will be very useful in imaging experiments. Essentially any brain region and any nerve cell type will be accessible to studies using the strategy advanced in this work. With these animals researchers will be able to study the electrical activity of large numbers of cells simultaneously. A hVOS probe developed in this laboratory was found to preferentially target axons. Animals expressing this hVOS probe will be useful in general studies of axonal excitability.