Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a DNA parvovirus that has attractive properties for gene transfer due to its lack of pathogenicity and ability to provide long-term expression. Recombinant AAV vectors are created by replacing the wild-type rep and cap genes with the gene of interest between two inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) flanking the viral genome. AAV has been used for gene transfer in the lung, liver, brain, eye, blood, and heart.
AAV vectors are one of the most attractive gene delivery systems for the central nervous system (CNS) due to their ability to efficiently transduce neurons and provide long-term gene expression in post-mitotic cells with minimal immune response. AAV vectors have one of the most excellent safety profiles and have been used in clinical trials for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. AAV serotypes express different capsid proteins that determine which receptors the AAV vector can bind to for cell entry, thereby determining the tropism of the AAV vector.
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelics. Here, researchers reveal an essential role for ventral hippocampal (vHpc) GABAergic interneurons in the anxiolytic effects induced by the serotonergic psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI). By integrating anatomical, pharmacological, and genetic approaches, studies show that 5-HT2A receptors in the CA1/subiculum (CA1/sub) region of the vHpc are required for the anxiolytic effects of DOI. In vivo electrophysiological and photolabeling experiments revealed that DOI increases the firing rate of fast-firing parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons in the hippocampus, most of which express 5-HT2A receptors. Restoration of 5-HT2A receptors in PV-positive interneurons in the context of loss-of-function rescued the anxiolytic responses induced by DOI in the vHpc CA1/sub region. Together, these findings localize the acute anxiolytic action of serotonergic psychedelics to 5-HT2A receptors in the ventral hippocampus and clearly identify PV-positive fast-spiking cells as the cellular triggers of psychedelic-induced relief of anxiety-like behaviors.
Here, researchers investigated whether restoring 5-HT2A receptor expression within the vHpc CA1/sub region in the 5-HT2ARKO mouse line is sufficient to result in anxiolytic behavioral responses on the EPM in response to acute, systemic DOI treatment. Using a viral delivery approach, infusion of AAV9-Syn-Cre-GFP into the vHpc CA1/sub region of the 5-HT2ARKO-resfl/fl mouse line restored neuronal 5-HT2A receptor expression in the vHpc CA1/sub region in a 5-HT2AR receptor loss-of-function background. Cre recombinase acts by excising a floxed neostop cassette located upstream of the htr2a gene, which helps conditionally restore 5-HT2A receptor expression in neurons expressing synapsin-Cre (Figures 1C and 1D). Researchers demonstrated that acute, systemic DOI administration in 5-HT2ARKO-resfl/fl mice, coupled with Cre recombinase-mediated rescue of 5-HT2A receptor expression in neurons within the vHpc CA1/sub region, resulted in a significant decrease in anxiety-like behaviors on the EPM, as observed by increased percentage time in the open arms and decreased percentage time in the closed arms ( Figures 1E-1G).
Figure 1. 5-HT2A receptors in the ventral hippocampal CA1/sub region mediate the decrease in anxiety-like behavior evoked by DOI. (Tiwari P, et al., 2024)
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Integrating AAV9-Syn-Cre-GFP into our mouse models was remarkably straightforward. It significantly cut down the setup time, allowing us to focus on data collection and analysis.
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