CaMKIIa-HA-hM4D(Gi)-mCherry AAV (Serotype 9)

CaMKIIa-HA-hM4D(Gi)-mCherry is an adeno-associated virus (AAV) designed for neuroscience research. AAV9 serotype 9 exhibits strong tropism for the central nervous system. The vector exploits the specificity of the CaMKIIa promoter, which is primarily active in excitatory neurons. This targeted expression allows researchers to modulate neuronal activity with high precision, providing a valuable tool for understanding complex neural circuits and behavior.

The vector incorporates the human muscarinic receptor hM4D(Gi), a designer receptor activated only by designer drugs (DREADDs). The receptor was designed to respond to the inert ligand clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) to temporally modulate neuronal inhibition. When activated by CNO, hM4D(Gi) initiates the Gi/o signaling pathway, reducing neuronal excitability. This property makes it particularly suitable for studies aimed at exploring the role of specific neurons in various physiological and pathological processes, such as cognitive function, addiction, and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, the mCherry fluorescent protein provides a direct visualization marker for expression. The combination of the mCherry reporter gene and the HA tag enables a dual validation mode, ensuring accurate tracking and expression profiling in post-mortem tissue analysis.