SPARC Enables Genetic Manipulation of Precise Proportions of Cells

Overview

Journal Nat Neurosci

Date 2020 Jul 22

PMID 32690967

Citations 32

Authors

Jesse Isaacman-Beck

Kristine C Paik

Carl F R Wienecke

Helen H Yang

Yvette E Fisher

Irving E Wang

Itzel G Ishida

Gaby Maimon

Rachel I Wilson

Thomas R Clandinin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Many experimental approaches rely on controlling gene expression in select subsets of cells within an individual animal. However, reproducibly targeting transgene expression to specific fractions of a genetically defined cell type is challenging. We developed Sparse Predictive Activity through Recombinase Competition (SPARC), a generalizable toolkit that can express any effector in precise proportions of post-mitotic cells in Drosophila. Using this approach, we demonstrate targeted expression of many effectors in several cell types and apply these tools to calcium imaging of individual neurons and optogenetic manipulation of sparse cell populations in vivo.

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