Transsynaptic Tracing from Peripheral Targets with Pseudorabies Virus Followed by Cholera Toxin and Biotinylated Dextran Amines Double Labeling.
Abstract
Transsynaptic tracing has become a powerful tool used to analyze central efferents
that regulate peripheral targets through multi-synaptic circuits. This approach has
been most extensively used in the brain by utilizing the swine pathogen pseudorabies
virus (PRV)(1). PRV does not infect great apes, including humans, so it is most commonly
used in studies on small mammals, especially rodents. The pseudorabies strain PRV152
expresses the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) reporter gene and only crosses
functional synapses retrogradely through the hierarchical sequence of synaptic connections
away from the infection site(2,3). Other PRV strains have distinct microbiological
properties and may be transported in both directions (PRV-Becker and PRV-Kaplan)(4,5).
This protocol will deal exclusively with PRV152. By delivering the virus at a peripheral
site, such as muscle, it is possible to limit the entry of the virus into the brain
through a specific set of neurons. The resulting pattern of eGFP signal throughout
the brain then resolves the neurons that are connected to the initially infected cells.
As the distributed nature of transsynaptic tracing with pseudorabies virus makes interpreting
specific connections within an identified network difficult, we present a sensitive
and reliable method employing biotinylated dextran amines (BDA) and cholera toxin
subunit b (CTb) for confirming the connections between cells identified using PRV152.
Immunochemical detection of BDA and CTb with peroxidase and DAB (3, 3'-diaminobenzidine)
was chosen because they are effective at revealing cellular processes including distal
dendrites(6-11).
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnimalsBiotin
Cholera Toxin
Dextrans
Genes, Reporter
Green Fluorescent Proteins
Herpesvirus 1, Suid
Mice
Neural Pathways
Neurons
Pseudorabies
Staining and Labeling
Swine
Synapses
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11146Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.3791/50672Publication Info
Arriaga, Gustavo; Macopson, Joshua J; & Jarvis, Erich D (2015). Transsynaptic Tracing from Peripheral Targets with Pseudorabies Virus Followed by
Cholera Toxin and Biotinylated Dextran Amines Double Labeling. J Vis Exp(103). 10.3791/50672. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11146.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Erich David Jarvis
Adjunct Professor in the Deptartment of Neurobiology
Dr. Jarvis' laboratory studies the neurobiology of vocal communication. Emphasis is
placed on the molecular pathways involved in the perception and production of learned
vocalizations. They use an integrative approach that combines behavioral, anatomical,
electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. The main animal model used
is songbirds, one of the few vertebrate groups that evolved the ability to learn vocalizations.
The generality of the discoveries is tested in other vocal lear

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