hide
Free keywords:
-
Abstract:
How the central nervous system becomes correctly wired as new neurons arise is a critical process for establishing the connectome. We have successfully adapted trans-Tango anterograde transsynaptic tracing, first implemented in Drosophila, to identify presynaptic and postsynaptic partners in the developing zebrafish nervous system. Neural connections were monitored in the larval brain and spinal cord over time, and individual neurons were tracked up to two weeks of age. Anatomical connectivity was corroborated by functional experiments using a genetically encoded calcium indicator whose expression was trans-Tango-dependent. With this method, increased calcium transients were recorded in neurons of the optic tectum following optogenetic activation of retinal ganglion cells. We are currently working on a related retrograde labeling approach and other tools to expand the versatility and power of Tango-mediated transsynaptic signaling to study the formation and function of neural circuits. This research is supported by 3RF1MH123213 from the NIMH and HHMI Hanna H Gray.
