A genetic and genomic resource for vision research

描述(申请人提供)：哺乳动物视觉系统的遗传操作目前受到针对特定神经细胞类型的基因敲除或过度表达的现有工具的限制，并进一步受到对这些细胞类型中正常基因表达的不完全理解的阻碍。这项拟议的研究将使用一种新的遗传策略，慢病毒增强子捕获，以产生在特定细胞类型中表达cre重组酶和tet激活子的新的小鼠驱动株。最近发展起来的细胞类型特异性表达谱将被用于定位中枢视觉系统内这些和其他神经元的基因表达。所开发的遗传和基因组工具和资源将被用于研究初级视皮层第4层输入神经元和第6层输出神经元的经验依赖性可塑性背后的细胞和分子机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Genetic manipulation of the mammalian visual system is currently limited by available tools for targeting gene knockout or overexpression to specific neuronal cell types, and is further hampered by an incomplete understanding of the normal gene expression in those cell types. This proposed studies will use a novel genetic strategy, lentiviral enhancer trapping, to generate new driver strains of mice expressing cre recombinase and tet activator in specific cell types. Recently developed cell type specific expression profiling will be used to map gene expression in these and other neurons within the central visual system. The genetic and genomic tools and resources developed will then be used to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying experience dependent plasticity in layer 4 input neurons and layer 6 output neurons of the primary visual cortex.