Protocol

Cre-Dependent Adeno-Associated Virus Preparation and Delivery for Labeling Neurons in the Mouse Brain

Adapted from Imaging in Developmental Biology (ed. Sharpe and Wong). CSHL Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2011.

Abstract

Virus-mediated gene delivery is a powerful strategy for labeling and manipulating neurons in mammalian brains. A major drawback of this gene delivery method has been the lack of cell-type specificity. However, methods that combine Cre-knockin mice and Cre-activated adeno-associated virus (AAV) have now been developed to achieve high-level, stable, and cell-type-specific gene expression. Here, we describe a protocol for the design, production, and delivery of Cre-dependent AAVs. This method is simple and highly efficient, and allows chronic live imaging of defined classes of synapses in the mouse brain.

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