title: Light-induced silencing of neural activity in Rosa26 knock-in mice conditionally expressing the microbial halorhodopsin eNpHR2.0.
abstract: Temporally precise inhibition of genetically defined cell populations in intact nervous systems has been enabled by the microbial halorhodopsin NpHR, a fast, light-activated chloride pump. Here, we report the generation of new mouse strains that express eNpHR2-EYFP fusion proteins after Cre- and/or Flp-mediated recombination to silence neural activity in vivo. In these mouse strains, Cre/Flp recombination induced a high-level of eNpHR2-EYFP expression. Slice whole-cell patch clamp experiments confirmed that eNpHR2-EYFP-expressing neurons could be optically hyperpolarized and inhibited from firing action potentials. Thus, these mouse strains offer powerful tools for light-induced silencing of neural activity in genetically defined cell populations.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Japan. iimayosh@virus.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Itaru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Imayoshi
authors.forename: Sawako
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tabuchi
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Satsuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitano
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyachi
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Ryoichiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kageyama
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D055879:Gene Knock-In Techniques; D025602:Halorhodopsins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D062308:Optogenetics / Q000379:methods*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques
chemical_list: D025602:Halorhodopsins