title: Monosynaptic restriction of transsynaptic tracing from single, genetically targeted neurons.
abstract: There has never been a wholesale way of identifying neurons that are monosynaptically connected either to some other cell group or, especially, to a single cell. The best available tools, transsynaptic tracers, are unable to distinguish weak direct connections from strong indirect ones. Furthermore, no tracer has proven potent enough to label any connected neurons whatsoever when starting from a single cell. Here we present a transsynaptic tracer that crosses only one synaptic step, unambiguously identifying cells directly presynaptic to the starting population. Based on rabies virus, it is genetically targetable, allows high-level expression of any gene of interest in the synaptically coupled neurons, and robustly labels connections made to single cells. This technology should enable a far more detailed understanding of neural connectivity than has previously been possible.
authors.affiliation: Systems Neurobiology, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Wickersham
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.forename: Richard J O
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finke
authors.forename: Karl-Klaus
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Conzelmann
authors.forename: John A T
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Edward M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Callaway
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D030161:Avian Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019470:Biolistics; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000166:cytology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000235:genetics* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D051381:Rats; D011991:Receptors, Virus / Q000235:genetics; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D030161:Avian Proteins; D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D011991:Receptors, Virus; C088745:Tva receptor; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins