An R-CaMP1.07 Reporter Mouse for Cell-type-specific Expression of a Sensitive Red Fluorescent Calcium Indicator

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2017 Jun 23

PMID 28640817

Citations 26

Authors

Philipp Bethge

Stefano Carta

Dayra A Lorenzo

Ladan Egolf

Despoina Goniotaki

Linda Madisen

Fabian F Voigt

Jerry L Chen

Bernard Schneider

Masamichi Ohkura

Junichi Nakai

Hongkui Zeng

Adriano Aguzzi

Fritjof Helmchen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) enable imaging of in vivo brain cell activity with high sensitivity and specificity. In contrast to viral infection or in utero electroporation, indicator expression in transgenic reporter lines is induced noninvasively, reliably, and homogenously. Recently, Cre/tTA-dependent reporter mice were introduced, which provide high-level expression of green fluorescent GECIs in a cell-type-specific and inducible manner when crossed with Cre and tTA driver mice. Here, we generated and characterized the first red-shifted GECI reporter line of this type using R-CaMP1.07, a red fluorescent indicator that is efficiently two-photon excited above 1000 nm. By crossing the new R-CaMP1.07 reporter line to Cre lines driving layer-specific expression in neocortex we demonstrate its high fidelity for reporting action potential firing in vivo, long-term stability over months, and versatile use for functional imaging of excitatory neurons across all cortical layers, especially in the previously difficult to access layers 4 and 6.

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