RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Off-target effects in transgenic mice: Characterization of Dopamine transporter (DAT)-Cre transgenic mouse lines exposes multiple non-dopaminergic neuronal clusters available for selective targeting within limbic neurocircuitry
JF eneuro
JO eNeuro
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP ENEURO.0198-19.2019
DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0198-19.2019
A1 Maria Papathanou
A1 Sylvie Dumas
A1 Hanna Pettersson
A1 Lars Olson
A1 Åsa Wallén-Mackenzie
YR 2019
UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/early/2019/09/03/ENEURO.0198-19.2019.abstract
AB Transgenic mouse lines are instrumental in our attempt to understand brain function. Promoters driving transgenic expression of the gene encoding Cre recombinase are crucial to ensure selectivity in Cre-mediated targeting of floxed alleles using the Cre-Lox system. For the study of dopamine neurons, promoter sequences driving expression of the Dopamine transporter (Dat) gene are often implemented and several DAT-Cre transgenic mouse lines have been found to faithfully direct Cre activity to dopamine neurons.Significance statement DAT-Cre transgenic mouse lines have been particularly useful in resolving the diverse functions of the brain´s dopamine systems. Here we report DAT-Cre-driven reporter gene expression in cell bodies of non-dopaminergic limbic brain areas, including the lateral septum, the amygdala and the lateral habenula. Co-labeling analysis identified that these DAT-Cre neurons were glutamatergic or GABAergic. Injection of viral-genetic constructs verified the activity of the DAT-Cre transgene in the adult brain, and also enabled identification of projection patterns. This study proposes a new angle by which available DAT-Cre transgenic mice can be implemented as tools for driving targeting to a restricted number of non-dopaminergic neurons of limbic neurocircuitry.