Neuronal Expression
Neuronal Expression - Related Videos
13:32
Laser Capture Microdissection of Enriched Populations of Neurons or Single Neurons for Gene Expression Analysis After Traumatic Brain Injury
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Cited by 22 •
2013
We describe how to use laser capture microdissection (LCM) to obtain enriched populations of hippocampal neurons or single neurons from frozen sections of the injured rat brain for subsequent gene expression analysis using quantitative real time PCR and/or whole-genome microarrays.
11:34
Identification of Specific Sensory Neuron Populations for Study of Expressed Ion Channels
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Cited by 5 •
2013
Afferent sensory neurons signal sensory information from the periphery to the central nervous system. Identifying specific afferent neurons will help in understanding their physiology. We describe a method of retrograde labeling to identify afferent neurons, and study the voltage-gated ion channels in these neurons using patch clamp electrophysiology and immunocytochemistry.
08:37
Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) and Gene Expression Analysis of Fos-expressing Neurons from Fresh and Frozen Rat Brain Tissue
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Cited by 34 •
2016
Here we present a Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) protocol to study molecular alterations in Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles from both fresh and frozen brain tissue. The use of frozen tissue allows FACS isolation of many brain areas over multiple sessions to maximize the use of valuable animal subjects.
08:41
Adeno-associated Virus-mediated Transgene Expression in Genetically Defined Neurons of the Spinal Cord
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Cited by 21 •
2018
Intraspinal injection of recombinase dependent recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) can be used to manipulate any genetically labelled cell type in the spinal cord. Here we describe how to transduce neurons in the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord. This technique enables functional interrogation of the manipulated neuron subtype.
10:16
Perforated Patch-clamp Recording of Mouse Olfactory Sensory Neurons in Intact Neuroepithelium: Functional Analysis of Neurons Expressing an Identified Odorant Receptor
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Cited by 7 •
2015
Analyzing the physiological properties of olfactory sensory neurons still faces technical limitations. Here we record them through perforated patch-clamp in an intact preparation of the olfactory epithelium in gene-targeted mice. This technique allows the characterization of membrane properties and responses to specific ligands of neurons expressing defined olfactory receptors.
FAQs
Transcription factors and neuronal activity regulate neuronal expression at the level of gene transcription. Their effects help establish which genes are active in a neuron, influencing cellular identity, connectivity, and physiological behavior. This regulatory link also provides a mechanism through which changing neural activity can alter molecular programs, making expression patterns relevant to circuit development and adaptation during learning.
Gene transcription is only the first stage. RNA processing prepares transcripts, after which transport directs them to appropriate neuronal locations and translation produces proteins in the soma or local compartments. Dendrites and axons can therefore participate in protein production away from the cell body. Considering these stages helps explain how neurons organize molecular resources across their extended cellular architecture.
RNA and protein measurements do not represent identical molecular events. RNA levels can reflect transcription, processing, and transport, whereas protein levels additionally depend on translation and the location where translation occurs. Distinguishing these stages prevents a single measurement from being treated as a complete picture of neuronal expression and helps researchers relate molecular observations to neuronal physiology.
Reporter genes, in situ hybridization, and cell-type-specific genetic tools provide complementary ways to study neuronal expression. The overview identifies these approaches for measuring or manipulating expression patterns, with genetic specificity enabling investigation of defined neuronal populations. This is important when researchers need to relate molecular regulation to particular neurons rather than to the nervous system as a whole.
It is especially informative when the research question concerns how neurons acquire identity, establish connectivity, or change their physiological behavior. The same framework applies to neural-circuit development, adaptation during learning, and responses to disease. These settings make expression analysis useful for connecting molecular regulation with changing structure and function across neuroscience studies.
Cell-type-specific genetic tools enable researchers to investigate defined neuronal populations instead of treating all neurons as equivalent. That focus is valuable when studying circuit development, adaptation during learning, or disease responses, because the relevant expression pattern can be examined in the population of interest. It therefore connects molecular regulation more directly to neuronal and circuit-level questions.